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From Convent to Conflict 



OR 



A NUN'S ACCOUNT OF THE INVASION 
OF BELGIUM 



BY 

SISTER M. ANTONIA 

Convent des Filles de Marie, Willehroeck, 

Province of Antwerp, 

Belgium 




JOHN MURPHY COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 
200 W LOMBARD ST. BALTIMORE, MP 



.Kl3b 



COPYBIGHT 1916 BY 

JOHN MURPHY COMPANY 




Press op JOHN MURPHY COMPANY, Baltimore 



CI.A433741 



JUL 15 1916 



Sntrobuction 

The publication of this little volume has 
for its object a better understanding of act- 
ual conditions, immediately following the 
invasion of a hostile army. The hope is in- 
dulged that the harrowing scenes witnessed 
by the author in Belgium, after the German 
invasion in 19 14, may induce our own coun- 
trymen and women to more fully appreciate 
the blessings of peace. The events narrated 
are set forth as actually occurring, and — 
"with malice to none, with charity for all." 

Any profits derived from its favorable re- 
ception by the reading public or the char- 
itably inclined are to be devoted to the re- 
construction and repair of our school and 
convent, damaged during the engagement at 
the Fortress of Willebroeck, or for the es- 
tablishment of a sewing school, with a lace- 
making department, for young women in 
America or England, as our Reverend Su- 
periors may decide. 



Introduction. 



Any assistance in this charitable work 
will be gratefully appreciated by the au- 
thor and her scattered community in Bel- 
gium, England and Holland. 



Sister M. Antonia. 



Skaneateles, New York, 
April 3rd, 1916. 



better of Sntrobuction 

La Superieure du Couvent des Filles de 
Marie a Willebroeck, Province d' Anvers, 
en Belgique declare par la presente que ses 
soeurs Marie Antoine et Marie Cecile sont 
envoyees aux Extats Unis, a fin d' examiner 
s' il y aurait noyen d' y etablir une colonie 
de Filles de Marie; elle donne a Soeur M. 
Antoine le Pouvoir d' agir en son nom afin 
de prendre les mesures necessaires a cet effet. 

SOEUR M. Berchmans. 
Willebroeck, 29 September, 1914. 
Approve: 

D. J. Card. Mercier, Arch, de Malines 

TRANSLATION. 

The Superior of the Convent of the 
Daughters of Mary, Willebrpeck, Province 
of Antwerp, Belgium, state by this present 
(letter) that the Sisters Mary Antonia and 
Mary Cecilia are sent to the United States 
in order to examine if there are means of 



Letter of Introduction. 



establishing a colony (mission) of the 
Daughters of Mary there; she gives to Sis- 
ter M. Antonia the power to act in her name 
as to taking the measures necessary to this 

effect. 

Sister M. Berchmans. 

Willebroeck, 29 September, 19 14. 

Approved: 

D. J. Card. Mercier, Arch, de Malines. 



Contentsi 

Page 

INTRODUCTION 3 

LETTER OF INTRODUCTION 5 

CHAP. I— The Boarding School 9 

CHAP. II— Daily School Life 17 

CHAP. Ill — The Parochial School, Convent and Gar- 
den 26 

CHAP. IV— The Cloister 38 

CHAP. V — The Approaching Storm 46 

CHAP. VI— Changes 51 

CHAP. VII— War 59 

CHAP. VIII— The Carnage of Battle 66 

CHAP. IX— The Return of the Army 80 

CHAP. X — Anxious Days 90 

CHAP. XI— The Flight of the Refugees 98 

CHAP. XII— The Results of War 109 

CHAP. XIII— Our Departure 116 

CHAP. XIV — Arrival in Antwerp 126 

CHAP. XV — Extracts from Letters of Our Refugee 

Sisters 134 

CHAP. XVI— The Exodus to England 142 

CHAP. XVII— London and Leeds 150 

CHAP. XVIII— The Refugees in England 157 

CHAP. XIX— Homeward Bound 174 



CHAPTER I. 

Boarding School in the Couvent des 

FiLLES DE Marie, Willebroeck, 

Prov. d' Anvers, Belgique, 

July, 1914. 

A merry group of Convent girls, in 
charge of Sister guardian, was seated in the 
shade of a huge old pear tree, discussing the 
joys and expectations of the approaching 
summer vacation. High are the walls en- 
closing this ancient cloister, and many are 
the gay young hearts protected and devel- 
oped within its shady precincts. 

Bright are the faces and happy the hearts 
of more than one hundred young girls on 
this midsummer day in the memorable year 
1914. They are now enjoying the morning 
air in the playground, having just returned 
from their usual walk in the garden. The 
weather is somewhat oppressive ; but as time 
is precious in boarding school, every one 



lo From Convent to Conflict 

has something to do. One is crocheting; 
another is finishing a piece of Irish lace; 
still another is reviewing an article in a cer- 
tain newspaper, as it is her task to make a 
summary for that evening's meeting of the 
Study Circle. 

Joy, unalloyed by the experience of care 
or sorrow, is written on the face of every 
child. It is only one week before the an- 
nual distribution of prizes, the subsequent 
close of the school year, and a speedy family 
reunion. 

It is eight o'clock. The sign is given, 
and instantly a hundred busy-bodies become 
still and serious. Not another word is 
spoken as the preceptress conducts the long 
line through the large playroom, over the 
small yard, and into the various classrooms. 

The young ladies, aged from fifteen to 
twenty^ proceed at once to the sewing de- 
partment. This is to them the most import- 
ant and interesting of all the rooms; needle- 
work being a predominant feature in the 
education of all young Belgian women. 
After prayer, work begins. Some are cut- 
ting patterns; others are putting pretty lace 



From Convent to Conflict i i 

collars on those suits which must serve for 
the reception of diplomas ; and a few of the 
more diligent, who have completed the 
term's work, are now finishing some lace or 
embroidery; while a cheery little canary is 
singing to the doubtful harmony of twenty 
sewing machines. 

At the desk sits the patient and zealous 
teacher. Sister M. Alphonse, assisted in her 
work by two young novices. She is, per- 
haps, the most widely known and respected 
seamstress in all the province. For years 
her gold embroidery has sparkled on flags 
and banners; for years her skillful fingers 
have adorned the vestments that beautified 
God's altar in many churches of the diocese. 
Sister M. Alphonse knows the secret of win- 
ning the confidence of her pupils, and it is 
interesting to see how they crowd around 
her to reveal their little joys and sorrows 
and obtain advice in the various necessities 
of a long and busy school year. 

On leaving the sewing-room, the visitor 
proceeds to the other departments. On all 
sides order and discipline prevail. The 
stone-floored halls are spotlessly clean. 



12 From Convent to Conflict 

Pretty mosaic figures attract the eye and 
give a quaint appearance to those ancient 
corridors. The walls are very high, the 
rooms spacious, the windows long and 
broad, thus capable of admitting an abun- 
dance of air, light and sunshine. The 
wooden floors of the classrooms are often 
scrubbed and strewn with fine white sand 
from the seashore. 

Sad is the lot of any poor child who might 
have the misfortune to upset an inkstand. 
You would find her on her knees rubbing 
the stain with soap and scraping it with a 
piece of glass until every vestige of ink dis- 
appears. If you tell her to be more careful 
in future, she will laughingly reply: ^'Schu- 
ren is toch zoo aangenaam" (scrubbing is 
so pleasant). 

In passing from one room to another, one 
notices the zeal and energy of both pupils 
and teachers. So busy are they, and so dili- 
gently are the hours employed, that the long 
school day, from eight o'clock in the morn- 
ing until seven in the evening, fleets quickly 
away. The desks are stiff, and hard, and 
heavy; but no one complains. The young 



From Convent to Conflict 13 

Belgian women are devoted to their coun- 
try and its customs ; and if one were told that 
in another country more comfortable desks 
were provided, she would answer candidly, 
'Wij blijven liever in ons vaderland" (We 
would rather remain in our own country.) 

The climate of Belgium is temperate, 
though more inclined to be cool than warm. 
The ground is very moist in some places. 
Never have we experienced the extremes of 
heat and cold found in America. Very 
heavy rains, accompanied by lightning and 
deafening peals of thunder, occur in the 
summer. There is little snow in the winter. 
In some parts of the country the grass is 
emerald green all year long. Rosebuds are 
seen on the bushes in January, and some- 
times the trees are budding in February. 

The stoves in Belgium are far inferior to 
those in America. Kitchen ranges are not 
used to bake bread. Those who do not pos- 
sess stone or steam ovens, are obliged to buy 
bread daily at the baker's. 

When accustomed to the cool, invigorat- 
ing climate of Belgium, a great contrast is 
experienced in visiting America, and one, 



14 From Convent to Conflict 

day out, all year long, for a small compen- 
sation, insufficient for the comfort of their 
families. 

As are the parents, so are the children; 
particularly in the boarding-school, where 
the rules and regulations necessitate strict 
discipline. Shortly before or after five 
o'clock in the morning, every child is up, un- 
less some one is ill, who, for the time, is ex- 
cused from rising. After dressing, a sign is 
given and all descend in strict silence to the 
chapel for morning prayer and the holy sac- 
rifice of the Mass. After morning devotions 
they go to the refectory, where a bounteous 
supply of "botterham" (bread and butter) 
and strong coffee is served. Breakfast is 
eaten in silence, except on special festivals. 

Needless to say that a great amount of 
tact is necessary on the part of the monitor 
to keep one hundred little tongues within 
their ivory walls until the signal is given to 
go to the playground. 

Here we found them at the beginning of 
our narrative ; here we shall find them again 
at half-past nine, at twelve, after four- 
o'clock lunch, and after supper; in the sum- 



From Convent to Conflict 15 

feels more or less in danger of suffocation 
during a journey in an overheated railroad 
car, or a few hours spent in the rooms of our 
American homes. 

Most of the people in Belgium are early 
risers ; and if, by chance, you happen to visit 
any of her cities at dawn of day, you will 
find her churches full to overflowing with 
zealous Christians,, who, like their time- 
honered forefathers, offer the first fruits of 
the day to God, the giver of every good. 
The churches are numerous, large and beau- 
tiful, and multitudes of worshipers are in 
daily attendance. Men and women of the 
higher class attired in robes of broadcloth; 
poor peasant women, with little shawls or 
kerchiefs covering their heads and shoul- 
ders; blue-eyed, fair-faced children, and the 
aged; whose bent forms and tottering steps 
show that they are nearing the end of life's 
journey; all assemble in the early morning 
seeking mercy, peace and comfort at the 
Throne of Grace. We can imagine the 
effect of this morning's devotion, especially 
consoling to the poor, who, in their heavy 
"blokken" (wooden shoes) toil, day in and 



1 6 From Convent to Conflict 

mer evenings. In winter the time of recre- 
ation is spent in the reception hall of the 
boarding-school. At eight o'clock the school 
day ends, and all advance in strict silence to 
the dormitories to enjoy the peaceful slum- 
ber which health and youth affords. 

The dormitories are four in number. 
Each child has a separate alcove. Several 
Sisters are in attendance during the night. 
In case of illness, a child is immediately re- 
moved to another apartment. 

To these general rules and regulations 
there are exceptions on Sundays and special 
festivals during the year. On those days spe- 
cial devotional exercises take place in the 
morning, the afternoon being assigned to the 
practicing of hymns and sacred music. 
When the weather is fine, the recesses are 
longer, and pleasant walks may be enjoyed 
in the garden. One Sunday in the month, 
called "Visiting Day," is at the disposal of 
parents and visitors, who are permitted to 
call upon the children. 



From Convent to Conflict 17 



CHAPTER II. 

Daily School Life. 

Every Tuesday afternoon, from one until 
about four o'clock, all the boarders, except 
the little ones, dressed in full uniform, go 
forth for a long walk with their teachers. 
They usually visit churches, shrines, or 
places of particular interest, thus develop- 
ing the spiritual, mental and physical pow- 
ers of the body. 

The uniform is quite becoming and at- 
tractive. It consists of a neat black dress, 
without showy trimmings or ornaments, 
black shoes and stockings, black hat, black 
silk gloves and necktie, with white sailor 
collar and cuffs. Sometimes white blouses, 
with straw hats, white silk neckties and 
gloves are worn. The hair is simply combed 
back, a part being taken up and fastened 
with a black or white bow, while the rest is 
braided and fastened again with a bow to 
match the necktie and gloves. 

A silver chain, bearing the medal of the 
Immaculate Conception, is worn by all 



1 8 From Convent to Conflict 



those belonging to the "Congregation of the 
Children of Mary." 

For what might seem monotonous in this 
manner of dress, we find sufficient variation 
in the blond locks, naturally curling around 
the forehead, the plump, rosy cheeks, the 
sparkling eyes and smiling faces of these gay 
and guileless children. 

The uniform is not permitted to be of 
costly fabric, as it must be in accordance 
with the means of every pupil. It is the 
distinguishing mark of the institution to 
which the child belongs, and claims for her 
a certain respect not due to those dressed in 
gaudy, striking, many-colored garb, so often 
affected by girls and young ladies. 

One of the principal and most beneficial 
results noticeable from the use of the uni- 
form suit in the boarding-school is that it 
destroys the great inclination on the part 
of one pupil to surpass another in dress and 
personal adornment, thus preventing vanity 
and arrogance in the one, and removing the 
cause of envy, jealousy and distraction in 
the other. 



From Convent to Conflict 19 

What teacher has not remarked, in the or- 
dinary classroom, the scornful glance on the 
face of a haughty child, as she regards her 
poorer neighbor's cheap dress, and who has 
not noticed the seeds of envy sprouting up 
in the heart of some poor little creature, so 
deeply wounded by the conduct of her afflu- 
ent companion? There she sits, and, instead 
of diligently studying her lesson, that sensi- 
tive little soul is complaining against the 
All-Wise Providence, which has given to 
her neighbor more than to her. Alas ! when 
that child returns home after school, poor 
mother must suffer. Her daughter begins 
to annoy and worry, tease and complain, un- 
til mother also feels the pangs of jealousy; 
and, falling into error, denies herself some 
household necessity in order to satisfy her 
discontented child. There are many moth- 
ers in the world at present who are real 
slaves to the caprices of their daughters in 
matters of dress. A pretty uniform in all 
common day schools would prevent a great 
deal of this annoyance to mothers, pupils 
and teachers. 



20 From Convent to Conflict 

Nearly every year since the opening of 
the sewing and household schools an expo- 
sition is held for about two weeks, in which 
all suits, lace, embroidery, painting, mend- 
ing of clothing, and all other articles made 
by the boarders are exhibited. 

Written invitations are sent out to the 
families and friends of the Sisters and chil- 
dren. Only those who have received such 
invitations are allowed to visit the exposi- 
tion. 

It sometimes occurs that a dramatic per- 
formance is given by the boarders as an en- 
tertainment, wherein the play represents an 
event of particular religious or historical 
interest. In this case, also, only those in- 
vited are permitted to be present. 

Most interesting entertainments, provided 
by the Convent for the boarding-school, are 
the stereopticon views, with lectures given 
by the Reverend Professors of the College 
of Boom, in which are represented and dis- 
cused all the important scenes in and on the 
route to the Holy Land by those who have 
actually visited the scenes and secured the 
views themselves. 



From Convent to Conflict 21 

Another object of great interest is the 
^Tlay of the Birds/' presented by a French 
Gentleman, when requested by the Super- 
iors, for the pleasure and instruction of the 
pupils. There are several cages of birds of 
the smaller kinds. These birds are exactly 
trained, and, being perfectly obedient to 
their master, perform a series of exquisite 
feats, which leave a lasting impression on 
the memory. But the lesson which is in- 
tended to be impressed upon the minds of 
the pupils is the result which can be ob- 
tained from even the unreasoning creatures 
around us, by the unceasing, unwavering in- 
fluence of a loving, gentle, patient and per- 
severing character. 

When the children had entered the class- 
room in the morning, the monitor stood for 
a moment and glanced around to see if the 
yard was in order. Her eye fell upon a pa- 
per forgotten by one of the pupils. She 
opened it and saw the portraits of the mur- 
dered Crown Prince and his noble consort, 
of Austria-Hungary, little recking the 
awful import of that heinous crime to her 
own fair country. 



22 From Convent to Conflict 

Was it the heat, or was it the harbinger of 
coming woe? A feeling of sadness so sel- 
dom experienced in the life of a zealous re- 
ligious took possession of the Sister and car- 
ried her for the moment beyond her Con- 
vent walls, far away to the battlefield of life, 
where Pride, Ambition and Materialism, 
like unto monstrous autocrats, wage war 
against the human race. A moment she 
pauses while her heart exclaims, "Sursum 
Corda" (Lift up the hearts). 

''One day in Thy house, O Lord, is better 
than thousands in the dwellings of sinners." 

She glanced around the yard and went 
slowly to her room. 

From the window could be seen the sun- 
ny, cloudless sky, the trees laden with ripen- 
ing fruit, and far away those fertile, well- 
tilled fields in which, perhaps, there never 
had been raised before, a more plentiful or 
luxuriant crop of wheat and barley. Who 
could have ever thought that within a few 
short weeks that same, sunny sky would be 
raining death-dealing bombs upon the in- 
nocent inhabitants of a peace-loving nation, 
while her crops, over-ripe for the harvest. 



From Convent to Conflict 23 

were being trampled under foot and her 
plains and meadows deluged in a sea of 
blood? 

How strange, how incomprehensible does 
it not appear to those whose lives are spent 
in the abode of sanctity, to witness this igno- 
ble strife, this worship of mammon, the rise 
and fall of the victims of Ambition, along the 
path of glory leading to the grave? All 
the wealth of the world cannot obtain for 
them the precious pearl of peace, or the 
tranquillity of mind possessed by the poor- 
est day laborer in the humble performance 
of his allotted task. 

Peace is a hidden manna, unknown to the 
selfish lover of the world, in whose heart 
rages perpetual war. 

On the outer page of a child's copy book, 
I observed an illustration which depicted in 
a very simple manner the progress of selfish 
Ambition as it is found today in every class 
of society. In the corner of the page sat a 
big black spider, intent on catching a little 
fly which had lit on a blade of grass. Just 
above was a greedy little bird, ready to 
grasp the spider. At a short distance a 



24 From Convent to Conflict 

vicious-looking old cat crouched in the 
grass, ready to spring at the bird. A dog, 
prowling along the street, seeing the cat, 
showed his long teeth and would have 
sprung at the cat, had not a little boy ap- 
proached and begun to worry the dog. In 
the distance appears father, with the "rod of 
correction" in hand, ready to punish little 
Fritz for cruelty to animals. 

Thus there is selfish strife in this world of 
ours, strife from the cradle to the grave ; and 
no one, however proud, ambitious or arro- 
gant he may be, who will not, one day, find a 
master greater than he. Now what is the 
object of this never-ending strife? It is 
simply an insatiable desire for superiority 
and self-satisfaction, even if, to obtain the 
ends in view, one must trample upon the 
rights of others. 

Having lost original happiness in the fall 
of Adam, man has been looking for it ever 
since; but the great trouble is that many 
people look for it in the wrong direction, 
and seek it where no happiness is to be 
found. They think it consists in the acquisi- 
tion of fame and glory, in the possession of 



From Convent to Conflict 25 

wealth, or in a life of ease and luxury; but 
these things are as transient as the evening 
twilight, and uncertain as the shadowy 
forms portrayed in the river's depths. Tlie 
entire lives of many people are consumed in 
a fruitless search after the vain and perish- 
able goods of the earth. Their years glide 
away like the sands in an hour-glass; and, 
finally they sicken, faint and fall, and their 
end resembles the pebbles thrown into the 
ocean, which for a moment ripple the sur- 
face and lose themselves in its waves. The 
human soul is as a fathomless sea, which 
nothing finite can satisfy. "O God!" cried 
St. Augustine, ^'Thou hast made us for Thy- 
self, and our hearts are ever troubled, ever 
agitated, until they find rest in Thee." 



26 From Convent to Conflict 



CHAPTER III.^ 

The Parochial School, Convent 
and Garden. 

The reverie into which the Sister had 
fallen was soon interrupted by the sound of 
children's voices in the small playground. 
Hastily leaving the room, she went to meet 
the merry little band of day-scholars who 
attend the boarding-school from half-past 
eight in the morning until six o'clock in the 
evening. 

Joyfully the little group of twenty gath- 
ers around their mistress. One presents a 
flower which mother had given ; another, a 
pretty postcard; yet another shows a toy or 
picture-book. A chubby little boy is crying 
because he has forgotten his new drum; and 
thus talking, laughing and crying, they are 
placed in line and lead away to the cozy lit- 
tle classroom whose long, broad windows 
look out upon the garden, which is ever 
green, and the rose bushes near the arbor, 
which bloom the greater part of the year, 



From Convent to Conflict 27 

and on whose twigs buds were often seen on 
New Year's Day. 

During the morning session one rosy- 
cheeked little girl, with long yellow curls 
and an apron as white as snow, stood up by 
her desk and said, "Sister, there is war in 
the newspapers. Papa said so this morn- 
ing." All the little heads turned, curious 
to hear about the war; and little Charlie 
took out his box of soldiers and arranged 
them in marching order on the desk. The 
mistress took advantage of the situation to 
teach the older pupils the great value of 
peace and the reward promised to the peace- 
makers "Blessed are the peacemakers, for 
they shall be called the children of God." 

At half-past nine the recess bell rings, and 
all the pupils proceed once more to the 
playground and pl^y tag, or continue their 
needlework in the shade of the wide-spread- 
ing trees. During certain seasons of the 
year all children play "beads," which is 
quite similar to a game of marbles. Hap- 
pier than a general returning with the spoils 
of war is the child who, at the end of the 
season, can show her companions a string 



28 From Convent to Conflict 

of large, many-colored beads two or three 
yards long. 

The swing and the rings are the source of 
great enjoyment for the children, and not a 
little care and anxiety to the Sister on guard, 
especially if the ripening fruit hangs on 
a branch within touching range of the chil- 
dren's feet. 

When it freezes hard in the winter, there 
being no snow on the ground and no pond 
nearer than the large garden, a number of 
the older pupils pump water and throw it 
on the stone pavement of the playground, 
until the whole becomes as a sheet of glass ; 
and then the exercise of skating on wooden 
shoes begins. Needless to say, there is dan- 
ger of fracturing more than the pavement 
when this play begins. 

Sister M. Anastatia has been for about 
twenty-eight years preceptress in the board- 
ing-school. She is a small, slight figure, 
whose very presence has a kind of magic 
influence upon all around her. At her en- 
trance and during her lessons perfect order 
prevails. Authority and precision, softened 
by great kindness of heart, are the distinc- 



From Convent to Conflict 29 

tive personal traits of Sister M. Anastatia. 
She is assisted in her work by several other 
Sisters and two lady teachers. 

Among the assistants, no one, perhaps, de- 
serves more credit or gratitude than Sister 
M. Cecilia, who for more than twenty-five 
years has directed the musical exercises of 
the Convent and Boarding-school. 

Showing a natural talent for music in her 
early childhood, and possessing a fine voice, 
her own progress in this art has been re- 
markable, and her services inestimable as 
teacher of music and directress of the choir. 
She is assisted in her work by Sister M. 
Margarita, one of the younger Sisters of the 
Community. 

The Belgians, like many other European 
nations, are great lovers of music. Thus, 
since a large number of pupils take music 
lessons, the monotony of school life is broken 
by the melody of many instruments and the 
sweet harmony of children's voices. 

There is no place where the influence of 
soft, sweet music is so effective as in the 
church or chapel during devotional exer- 
cises. Nowhere are greater pains taken to de- 



30 From Convent to Conflict 

velop this art as a branch of education than 
in the Convent schools, and nowhere are 
the results obtained more gratifying. 

Sister M. Amelia, the only child of the 
well-known family Le Due, of Mechelen, 
entered the Convent at the age of sixteen, 
and having completed the Normal course in 
St. Nicholas, took charge of one of the 
higher departments in the Boarding-school. 
She teaches French and Flemish, also draw- 
ing, painting and penmanship. The Eng- 
lish and German languages are taught in 
the higher departments. 

Proceeding from the Boarding-school, 
the visitor is led around to the long play- 
ground of the Parochial School of Wille- 
broeck. Here between six and seven hun- 
dred girls form the long line which is 
marching through the gate of "d' Externat." 
Each division is in charge of one or more 
Sisters, who conduct the children safely 
through the street a little beyond the Post- 
office. Here the procession breaks up, and 
the children scatter in all directions and run 
on to their homes in the different parts of 
the town. 



From Convent to Conflict 31 

Scarcely have the Sisters finished dinner, 
when the throng of pupils are at the gate 
again, eager for admittance. See them com- 
ing from all directions, and listen to the 
clatter of their wooden shoes on the stone 
pavement ! Truly happy in their child-like 
simplicity, strong, healthy and active, they 
are worthy descendants of a sturdy old race. 
When the gate is opened, crowds rush into 
the yard and begin their games of tag, jump 
the rope, hide and seek, etc., just as easily in 
those hard ^'blokken" as their next-door 
neighbors, the 'Tensionnaires" (Boarders), 
in fine high-heeled shoes. 

The continual use of wooden shoes is hurt- 
ful to the feet. They hinder the develop- 
ment of natural gracefulness in walking and 
cause the feet to become large and very flat. 

Sister M. Stanislas superintends the Paro- 
chial School. Though small of stature and 
very delicate, she has worked for years in 
the cause of education and has become one 
of the most prominent teachers in the prov- 
ince. In company with her associates, the 
assistant teachers, she attends the confer- 
ences, writes articles on education and con- 



32 From Convent to Conflict 

ference work, directs the sewing depart- 
ment; in a word, it is greatly due to her zeal, 
energy and Christian charity that the Girls' 
Catholic School of Willebroeck has attained 
as high a standing as the highly paid public 
schools of the district. 

On leaving "d' External (parochial 
school) one enters that part of the garden 
especially assigned to the use of the Sisters 
during recreation. It adjoins the large gar- 
den which is at the service of strangers on 
Sundays and visiting days. From the main 
path, in the middle of the garden, a fine 
view can be had of that quaint old Convent, 
some of whose buildings have stood there 
over a hundred years. On the right rises 
the new school, containing several large 
classrooms on one side; and on the other, 
the bakery, laundry, free sewing and house- 
hold schools. At a short distance from the 
school is the '^Gloriette" (arbor), or sum- 
mer house, surrounded by a very beautiful 
collection of rose bushes, then in full bloom. 
There are beds also containing many varie- 
ties of flowers, palms and evergreens. 



From Convent to Conflict 33 

In the distance is seen the Convent chapel, 
with its small belfry. It seems so insignifi- 
cant in comparison with the majestic tower 
of the old parish church of Willebroeck. 
which, probably, has weathered the storms 
of centuries. 

On the right-hand side of the chapel is 
found the ^^Grotto," or Shrine of Our 
Blessed Lady of Lourdes." It is here that 
the children, during the summer evenings, 
sing their sweetest hymns ; here also that the 
Sisters, after a tiresome day's work, kneel in 
spirit a few moments at the feet of their 
"Holy Mother" and patroness, who gave 
to the world the first perfect model of Con- 
vent life, when as a child she parted with 
her dearly beloved parents, St. Joachim and 
St. Anna, and entered the Temple of Jeru- 
salem, where the years of her childhood 
were passed in work, in prayer, and in de- 
vout communion with the Divine Being, 
who was "Lord of the Temple." 

The number of Religious now in the Con- 
vent is fifty. They are Sisters of the Augus- 
tinian Order, bearing the name of Filles de 
Marie (Daughters of Mary). The Mother 



34 From Convent to Conflict 

House, wherein reside the Superior Gen- 
eral, Rev. Mother M. Berchmans, and As- 
sistant Superior, Rev. Sister M. Gabrielle, 
is, and has been for about fifty years, in the 
tow^n of Willebroeck, in the Province of 
Antwerp, Belgium. 

In this house all the younger Sisters are 
received, trained, and make their profession, 
which consists in the solemn pronunciation 
of the three holy vows of religion. 

Many of the younger Sisters complete 
their normal course for.school teachers dur- 
ing their novitiate. 

The mission houses are Thisselt, Blaes- 
velt, Aertselaar and Bonheyden. All the 
Sisters are Belgians, except one. 

During the last eighteen years five of the 
members have celebrated the golden jubilee, 
or fiftieth anniversary of their entrance into 
the Community. One of these, Rev. Mother 
M. Magdalena, was the sister of the late 
well-known and highly esteemed Bishop of 
Richmond, Va., Rt. Rev. A. Van de Vyver, 
D. D. She entered at the age of eighteen 
and lived fifty-seven years in the Convent 



From Convent to Conflict 35 



We stood by the death-bed of all these 
dear old members who had given the flower 
and fruit of their long and useful lives to 
the advance of education and religion. We 
observed the peaceful resignation on the 
countenance of each dying Sister, and the 
smile of heavenly joy on her lips. The 
death of each one of these was for the Com- 
munity as the passing away of a sunbeam. 
For them it was only a happy transition 
from the sorrows of time to the joys of eter- 
nity. We gazed on those faces so pure, so 
calm, so majestic, even after the spirit had 
fled, and recalled the words of Holy Scrip- 
ture, "Blessed are the dead who die in the 
Lord," and again, "The death of the just is 
precious in the sight of the Lord." 

Besides the above named, there are a num- 
ber of Sisters in the Convent who have al- 
ready celebrated their "Silver Jubilee," or 
twenty-fifth anniversary of their entrance. 

Under the administration of the so-called 
Liberal party in Belgium, in the year 1879, 
the Catholic schools, being deprived of 
financial assistance from the Government, 
were closed. 



36 From Convent to Conflict 

A new School Law was passed, and the 
Crucifix and images of the saints were pro- 
hibited in the schools. Many Catholic 
teachers resigned. The clergy and rich 
Catholic families built schools of their own, 
which were supported by gifts. 

Our Community provided schools for the 
poor children of Willebroeck, and fur- 
nished the classrooms with desks, books and 
all necessary supplies. The eight Sisters 
who taught received only 2,000 francs per 
year, which was less than fifty dollars for 
each Sister, and the predicament of the Sis- 
ters became more or less alarming. Several 
prominent gentlemen in the town, among 
whom was Mr. Erix, the father of our pres- 
ent Sister M. Aloisia, went around taking 
up collections for the pressing necessities of 
the Community. 

In the year 1866, when the cholera broke 
out in Willebroeck, three Sisters went to the 
hospital; and, without any compensation 
whatever, remained with their patients. 
Later, about the year 1891, the same disease 
broke out again. The Liberal Burgomas- 
ter, Mr. De Naeyer, being in great need of 



From Convent to Conflict 37 

assistance, came to the Convent and asked 
for Sisters as nurses. Regardless of their 
past grievances, occasioned by the bitter op- 
position of the Liberals to the Catholic 
schools, eager only to do good, five strong, 
able-bodied Sisters, at the request of their 
Superior, left the Convent and went to the 
temporary hospital which had been hastily 
erected in the town. 

Here they remained day and night, in 
the midst of death and disease, at the bed- 
side of their stricken fellow-creatures until 
the epidemic ceased. Strange to say, not 
one of the Sisters contracted the disease, al- 
though numbers of their patients died each 
day. 

Only two of those heroines of charity and 
self-sacrifice now survive: Sister M. There- 
sia and Sister M. Perpetua. These two Sis- 
ters, feeble and aged, were obliged to take 
flight into Holland last September, but have 
now returned, with several others, to their 
Convent home in Willebroeck. 



38 From Convent to Conflict 



CHAPTER IV. 

The Cloister. 

Proceeding from the little Grotto of 
Lourdes, where the Sisters kneel in the even- 
ing for their ''Drie Wees Gegroeten" (three 
Hail Marys), one passes through the large, 
stone-paved playground, over the small 
yard, and enters the corridor leading to the 
Chapel. 

Passing through the yard, we observe the 
Novitiate on the left. This may be consid- 
ered the preparatory school of religious life. 
Here no one is received under the age of 
twenty-one, without full consent of parents 
or guardians. Immediately a regular course 
of training begins, in which the duties and 
obligations of religious life are clearly pre- 
sented. No applicant is permitted to take 
the vows who has not voluntarily responded 
to the requirements of the Novitiate. 

Before taking the vows, every postulant, 
if not satisfied, is perfectly free to return to 
her own home. Thus the obligations which 
bind one to religious life are not incurred 



From Convent to Conflict 39 

by entering a Convent or taking the veil, as 
some people suppose, but by the solemn and 
voluntary pronunciation of the vows, which 
in our Community may not take place with- 
out special dispensation, in less than a year 
after receiving the habit. In the Novitiate 
a Training Class has been established for 
those who intend to teach school. If not al- 
ready graduates, this course is usually fol- 
lowed by the novice, who later enters the 
Normal School. 

The experiences of the Novitiate make a 
life-long impression on the mind, and are 
regarded by the religious of more mature 
years as the scenes of childhood in the home 
circle are looked upon by the people of the 
world. 

On the right of the hall is seen the large 
folding door leading to the Community 
room of the Sisters. This apartment, espe- 
cially devoted to the private use of the "pro- 
fessed members," is never entered by the 
worldling, except with special permission 
from higher authority, and then only in case 
of necessity, as, for instance, a workman, for 
necessary repairs. 



40 From Convent to Conflict 

Enter then in spirit this earthly paradise 
and try, if possible, to comprehend the 
charm which permeates it. Here we meet 
rich and poor, old and young. They call 
each other ^^Sister." They greet in passing 
with these words, '^Geloofd Zij Jezus Chris- 
tus" (Praised Be Jesus Christ), to atone for 
the profane use of the sacred Name by the 
vulgar. 

The Sisters are all dressed alike; thus, no 
vain love of dress, no envy, no jealousy. 
They lose no precious time at the dressing 
table, and no money is wasted in following 
the vagaries and follies of every changing 
season. Their food is the same (exceptions 
being made for the sick and feeble), simple 
and substantial, neither rich nor dainty. 
The result is, as a rule, a measure of health 
and physical strength unknown in the circles 
of society. 

The rules and regulations to which they 
voluntarily subject themselves relieve them 
of all care and encumbrance as to the future. 
Each member performs her work as faith- 
fully and diligently as possible; and the 
good "All Father" provides. They join 



From Convent to Conflict 41 

each other in prayer and in the recreation. 
They assist each other in pain, in sickness 
and sorrow, and comfort one another in the 
hour of death. 

The work of the members is not the same. 
Each has a special office or work to perform. 

As the different organs of the body co- 
operate in preserving life, and even the 
smallest screw in the locomotive is necessary 
to the accomplishment of its work, so does 
each member contribute to the spiritual life 
and well-being of the Community. 

From this place is banished all that makes 
life miserable for millions of people. That 
is, particularly, the great desire of worldly 
possession — having, ever having, and never 
having enough — also, the ever-increasing de- 
sire and search for pleasure, pastime and 
self-satisfaction ; but finding only pain, cha- 
grin and remorse; that is, finally, the insa- 
tiable desire for freedom from all bonds 
and fetters which sanctify the soul and keep 
the body in restraint; and while thus seeking 
liberty, one finds, as a rule, in himself a 
most cruel tyrant for master. 



42 From Convent to Conflict 

The Sisters retire at an appointed hour 
and arise at the first sound of the bell. They 
work faithfully and industriously all day 
long, all year long, all their lives. 

Their wages are neither gold nor silver. 
They are the eternal merits which they 
know awaits them in a better life. The false 
and artificial customs of the world are 
strangers here. This short and sorrowful 
life is looked upon as a pilgrimage in a land 
of exile, or as the passage of a train from 
which the traveler joyfully observes the 
fleeting objects along the route, well know- 
ing that every disappearing mile-post re- 
duces the distance between him and his 
dearly beloved home. 

The Sisterhood is as a garden of many 
flowers, where the pure white lily never 
loses its beauty, where the red rose of love 
has made place for the pure white blossom 
of Christian Charity; and the fragrant little 
violet of humility diffuses incense to the 
angels who ascend and descend about the 
Throne of God. 

People often condole the Religious closed 
up within the prison walls of the Convent 



From Convent to Conflict 43 

and forever deprived of the joys and pleas- 
ures of the world. Little they know that 
within these same walls the heart is as free 
as the flight of the bird, while the soul in 
solitude is in constant communion with God, 
whose Divine Presence is felt in the life that 
surrounds her. 

She hears His voice in the gentle sigh of 
the breeze, in the hum of the bee, in the song 
of the bird and in the soft murmur of the 
little brooklet breaking over the mountain- 
side. His wonderful attributes become vis- 
ible to a certain degree in every object 
around her. She admires His Divine Provi- 
dence in the fatherly care which He takes 
of His creatures. Even the tiniest insect 
and the smallest blade of grass show forth 
the love, wisdom and the goodness of God. 

The soul in solitude, hidden within the 
Convent walls, admires the grandeur and 
glory of God as manifested in the majestic 
rising and setting of the sun, and its influ- 
ence over all nature. God's beauty is seen 
in the color of the clouds and in the ever- 
varying tints of the sky. The fragrance of 
the flowers reminds her of the odor of sane- 



44 From Convent to Conflict 

tity which a Christian should leave in his 
wake; and if, as sometimes occurs, one ob- 
serves anything which mars the beautiful 
face of Nature or disturbs the peaceful 
course of events, it brings to mind the revolt- 
ing sight of a soul in sin and the remorse 
and confusion it must suffer. 

The wave on the ocean's breast; those 
giant rocks on the shore; the mountains and 
little hills ; the river flowing on to the sea ; 
the moss and ferns in the wood ; in a word, 
every object in and around proclaim to the 
religious the omnipotence and omnipresence 
of Him who created them. 

The soul detached from the temporal, and 
seeking only the eternal, forsakes the crea- 
ture to find the Creator; and, having found 
Him, has found what her heart desired. 

What are, then, the pleasures of earth to 
those who have tasted the sweetness of 
Grace; more delicious than the luxuries of 
a thousand worlds? They speak no more 
of the past, since for them a new and hap- 
pier life has begun. With eyes and hearts 
fixed on heaven, they have forgotten the 
earth and, enraptured, cry out: 



From Convent to Conflict 45 

"Laetatus sum in his qui dicta sunt mihi ; 
in domum domini ibimus." (I was rejoiced 
at those things which were said to me : We 
shall go into the house of the Lord.) 



46 From Convent to Conflict 

CHAPTER V. 

The Approaching Storm. 

July's sun sank gently away on the west- 
ern horizon, and its last rays lit up the rip- 
ening fruit, the plants and flowers in the 
garden. It seemed to linger for a last fare- 
well to the groups of merry children who, 
unconscious of their fast-approaching woe, 
were cheerfully singing Belgium's well- 
known national song, "The Proud Flemish 
Lion." 

In a few moments the "Golden Gate" 
closed on a field of purple haze, shutting out 
that blessed glimpse of heaven, while the 
black shroud of the most dismal night in 
history darkened the sky of that hapless na- 
tion. 

The Sisters were together in the evening 
recreation of that fateful day, when word 
was received that King Albert of Belgium, 
in order to fulfill his obligations of neu- 
trality, had refused the Kaiser's army ac- 
cess to his territory to attack the French. 
Had a thunderbolt fallen from a clear sky, 



From Convent to Conflict 47 

or an earthquake shaken the ground under 
foot, it would scarcely have surprised or ter- 
rorized the people more than did the Kais- 
er's declaration of war against this free and 
happy little kingdom. 

When hostilities broke out between Aus- 
tria and Servia, while realizing the possi- 
bility of trouble in the country in case of a 
general war, we were assured that Belgium, 
being a neutral nation and having no other 
desire than that of possessing her own soil, 
and living in peace with all nations, had 
nothing to fear from war or invasion. 

Feeble human insight into the designs of 
Providence, whose hand has the power to 
destroy and rebuild, to crown or dethrone 
kings and kaisers, and seal the fate of na- 
tions. 

It is not our object to discuss the causes of 
the present European war from a material 
point of view, nor do we intend to pass judg- 
ment upon the nations or individuals en- 
gaged in it; nevertheless, viewing the pres- 
ent condition of affairs in Europe from an- 
other standpoint, and drawing conclusions 
from observation and personal experience, 



48 From Convent to Conflict 

we must admit that a spiritual warfare had 
been raging there for several years. 

Certainly, God, who is the source of peace, 
virtue and every good, should have been 
permitted to hold sovereign sway in His 
own kingdom; that is, in the hearts of His 
children and in the homesteads of His peo- 
ple. This right was disregarded in a most 
ruthless manner for many years, as is evi- 
dent from the fact that the word ^''God" and 
everything pertaining to God, was expunged 
from the text-books in some places in 
Europe, while it would have been a serious 
offense for a teacher to mention His sacred 
name or anything in connection therewith 
in the classroom. 

The spirit of atheism and agnosticism 
contended against the Spirit of Religion, 
and as a scourging wind was fast sweeping 
over the land, leaving by the wayside thou- 
sands of incautious souls bereft of all en- 
nobling possessions of mind and heart. 

The vices and vanities of pagan Rome 
were reviving before our very eyes in about 
the same manner as they had been prevalent 
over twenty hundred years ago; and, al- 



From Convent to Conflict 49 

though idolatrous shrines were not found in 
the homesteads, they could easily be found 
in the hearts of many people. 

Modern life in Europe, especially in the 
large cities, had to a certain degree, lost its 
high ideal of perfection, as did the world in 
the time of Noah ; and, consequently, it does 
not seem indiscreet to intimate that the 
same Supremacy which chastised the world 
in the great flood, has, for the same reason, 
reappeared and become manifest in the 
deluge of blood which now inundates the 
soil of those unhappy nations. 

Civilization, wealth, industry and intel- 
lect developed in times of peace and pros- 
perity, so as to reach apparently the limit 
of effort, have exhausted their entire re- 
sources up to this time to construct means 
suitable for destroying themselves. 

Now the question has been asked, ^'Why 
could not Christianity, after a period of 
about twenty hundred years on earth, have 
prevented this cruel war and saved the 
honor of civilization?" The answer is not 
difficult to find. Christianity could and 
would have saved humanity from this 



50 From Convent to Conflict 

dreadful misfortune had it not been for the 
fact that her power had been checked, her 
authority limited, her work hindered and 
her ranks weakened by those heavy storms 
which, though unable to uproot the Divine 
Institution, have impeded her progress and 
lessened her influence over the human race. 
When the happy day dawns in which the 
true spirit of Christianity, free and unfet- 
tered, will animate civilization as the soul 
animates the body, then, and not till then, 
will its powerful influence be able to dispel 
the shades of darkness in the minds of men, 
and in the palaces of kings and kaisers. 
Then will war cease and the reign of peace 
and happiness begin. 



From Convent to Conflict 51 



CHAPTER VI. 

Changes. 

When our minds, bewildered by the un- 
expected course which affairs had taken, 
fully comprehended that the country was at 
war, a feeling of dismay and terror, never 
before experienced, took possession of all. 

Suitable measures were adopted for the 
safety of the children under our care, to 
whom the usual prizes were distributed on 
the first Sunday in August, a week before 
the ordinary time of vacation. Permission 
was also given them to return to their homes 
the following day. All necessary prepara- 
tions were made as quickly as possible, and 
early next morning the boarders, accom- 
panied by one or more Sisters, departed in 
groups to their homes in the surrounding 
cities and towns. 

The parochial and public schools of the 
village continued in session for a few days, 
as the children were all residents, and no 
immediate danger was anticipated. 



52 From Convent to Conflict 

Subsequently, while the train containing 
a party of our pupils en route for Mechelen 
(Malines) was steaming on at full speed, it 
was hailed by a troop of Belgian soldiers, 
and instantly slackened up. All passengers 
were obliged to alight and, with satchels 
and small baggage in hand, had to make 
their way to the city as best they could, a 
walk of an hour or more. The soldiers 
boarded the train, which immediately 
started off to another station. 

At home the general cleaning and ar- 
rangement of the Boarding-school began, 
and in a few days the united assistance of 
strong hands and willing hearts have ac- 
complished the work, and the Sisters quietly 
await developments. 

During this time several workmen were 
busy excavating a cellar in the yard. On a 
certain morning the implements remained 
idly standing by the wall, as the workmen 
had been called out to assist in the all-im- 
portant work of strengthening the fortifica- 
tion of Willebroeck. This cellar, half filled 
with water by the dislodgment of the pipes 
leading to the cisterns, became later the re- 



From Convent to Conflict 53 

ceptacle of the bomb which passed through 
the chapel, shattering the walls and win- 
dows in its course. 

One night a great noise in the streets 
aroused the residents of Willebroeck. It 
was the call for several classes of soldiers 
who were obliged to rise, pack their kits 
and depart in a few hours, perhaps never 
more to return to their homes or families. 
Sorrow filled many a homestead that morn- 
ing, but it was only a faint shadow of what 
was yet to come. 

Shortly afterwards it was announced that 
all the horses were to be brought to the pub- 
lic market-place in each city and village. 
Here they were examined and those unfit re- 
jected. We know not whether any compen- 
sation was given to the owners at this time, 
although promise was made to make good 
the loss sustained at the close of the war. 
All the horses which could be of any service 
had to be given up for the use of the army. 
There were some pedple who gave seven, 
some nine, and one, we knew, who gave thir- 
teen or fourteen. Thus, just about the time 
that the harvest was ripe in the fields, men 



54 From Convent to Conflict 

and horses had to leave home and go to meet 
death on the field of battle. Imagine the 
plight of women and children, with every 
kind of hard work on hand and no one to 
help. How happy they were when, as hap- 
pened occasionally, their poor old horses 
were rejected by the officers. Shortly there- 
after all the bicycles and motor cars had to 
be delivered, and yet neither complaint nor 
murmur was heard on the part of the peo- 
ple, who patiently resigned themselves to 
the unhappy lot which had befallen them. 

The gazettes and daily papers were eag- 
erly read, although little reliable informa- 
tion could be obtained. Encouraging news 
in the evening was usually contradicted in 
the morning, while reports of the most ter- 
rible atrocities; of men murdered in cold 
blood; of open and gross lawlessness and 
evil conduct, terrorized the peaceful popu- 
lation in the unprotected towns and villages. 

Shortly after the war began letters were 
received from His Eminence, Card. Mer- 
cier. Archbishop of Malines, requesting the 
use of the schools and other locales for a 



From Convent to Conflict 55 

military hospital to be placed at the service 
of the Red Cross. 

Again a few days of quiet anticipation 
elapse, like the calm which precedes a 
destructive storm; while the Sisters utilize 
the time in the unusual occupation of chang- 
ing the joyful abode of children into a fit 
dwelling for death and misery. 

The children's refectory was arranged 
for the care of wounded officers; the large 
reception hall was fitted up for wounded 
soldiers, also the three dormitories and sev- 
eral classrooms. One classroom became an 
office for chaplain and doctors. Another 
department became an operating room. An- 
other was reserved for cases of contagious 
disease which might occur, while another 
room was used as a mortuary. 

One Sunday morning, about the middle 
of August, an unusual tumult was heard on 
the street. The door bell was loudly rung, 
and a messenger admitted with news that 
the officers of the Belgian War Department 
had commanded everything within firing 
range of the fortress to be cleared away at 
once. For some time previous the soldiers 



56 From Convent to Conflict 

had been busy cutting down the groves and 
all the trees in the immediate vicinity of the 
fortress. The poor people were given just 
three hours to get away with bag and bag- 
gage. 

Willebroeck, a large village between An- 
twerp and Brussels, about two miles from 
the City of Boom, had increased greatly in 
population, wealth and manufacturing dur- 
ing the years of peace and prosperity which 
had elapsed since the last war. Thus it 
happened that stores, dwelling houses, farm 
houses, breweries, paper mills and other in- 
dustries had been built up, regardless of the 
fortification near by, whose grass-covered 
walls concealed the strong masonry and 
heavy cannon within. 

This was a terrible misfortune for about 
six hundred families, whose dwellings, be- 
ing located within the limits prescribed, 
had to be leveled to the ground. Even the 
tombstones in the cemetery, together with 
all the crops, trees, haystacks, barns and 
everything within range of the gaping 
mouths of the cannon, had to be laid flat or 
taken away. 



From Convent to Conflict 57 

No wonder that the people raced to and 
fro that hot Sunday morning, carrying bun- 
dles, dragging wagons with household fur- 
niture and fixtures ; wheeling trunks, cloth- 
ing, stoves, pictures, bedding and every ar- 
ticle that could be taken up and carried 
away. Tears and perspiration rolled over 
the cheeks of men and women, whose faces 
glowed from the heat and intense excite- 
ment. 

Fortunately, the first message was fol- 
lowed by another whereby the people were 
allowed more time to get their personal 
property in safety before the work of ''burn- 
ing off" began. Impossible to describe how 
bitterly hard it was for these poor people to 
tear themselves away from the homes which 
had cost them so much toil, labor and hard- 
ship. 

The new Sewing School and laundry, the 
Parochial School, the Girls' Public School, 
the Patronage (Boys' Catholic School), 
and all other large locales received the vil- 
lage refugees. In a short time cows, horses, 
chickens, coal, grain, vegetables, furniture 
and everything that one can well imagine 



58 From Convent to Conflict 

filled up the schools and gardens. The cat- 
tle, unused to the change and flurry, set up a 
dreadful howling, which continued long 
into the night. 

In one schoolroom we had the contents of 
a grocery store; in another the costly furni- 
ture of one of the richest gentlemen in the 
town; while several families took up their 
abode in the midst of the clothing, furniture 
and bedding in the schools. How we all 
worked that day, carrying out desks and 
piling them up in safe places, putting away 
books, school utensils — as many as possible 
in the least possible space. Every available 
spot on the ground was utilized, except 
those rooms assigned to the private use of 
the Sisters, and the Boarding-school, which 
was reserved for the use of the Red Cross. 

The poor people resigned themselves to 
these changes without complaint or mur- 
mur; and the Sisters, notwithstanding the 
disorder and confusion caused by this state 
of affairs, did all that was possible to assist 
and make them comfortable. 



From Convent to Conflict 59 



CHAPTER VII. 
War. 

It is only when a common calamity, such 
as this, threatens not only the happiness, but 
also the very existence, of a whole nation, 
and the inundating tide of misfortune rises 
to the very doors of rich and poor, that the 
fountains of true Christian Charity spring 
open and lave with refreshing draughts the 
parched lips of the afflicted. The same bur- 
den that one bears on his shoulder is borne 
in the heart of another, who, while alleviat-. 
ing the wants of his neighbor, must think of 
his own approaching ruin. 

In such moments, while the seal of hum- 
ble submission is stamped on the sorrow- 
stricken heart of suffering humanity, the 
haughty arrogance of creatures recedes be- 
fore that resistless Power which shapes the 
destinies of men and nations, despite the 
best-laid plans and precautions. 

The work of ''burning off" the houses did 
not proceed rapidly enough, as the walls 
were of stone, and the roofs of tile or slate, 



6o From Convent to Conflict 

and much of the wooden furniture had been 
removed, so pulleys, brought into action by 
electricity, were adjusted to the walls, and 
thus these houses, so dear to the hearts of 
the people, were actually pulled over upon 
the ground. Whole streets had to be leveled 
and all the residents left without a shelter. 
Many of these did not possess the means of 
providing other homes. However, the firm 
hope of final victory and the restoration of 
their lost property sustained them in this 
dark and dreary hour. 

In the meantime a most terrible battle 
was taking place at the fortification of 
Liege. Was ever attack so strong, or re- 
sistance more determined? Belgian ofii- 
cers said "The enemy were twenty to one 
against us; but, being obliged to face the 
terrible fires of the fortress, their ranks 
were cut down in about the same manner as 
wheat it cut off by the reaper." "So great 
was the number of the Gerrnans that they 
seemed to spring up out of the ground." 
"They crawled ahead on hands and feet, and 
at a given signal sprang erect and fired, and 
then again prostrated themselves. Thus 



From Convent to Conflict 6i 

they advanced, avoiding as much as possi- 
ble the heavy fires in front." Another Bel- 
gian officer at the fortress during the battle 
said: ^'It resembled a storm of fiery hail- 
stones from a cloud of smoke, in an atmos- 
phere suffocating with heat and the smell of 
pov^der." 

Eyewitnesses relate that heaps of slain, 
yards high, were found on the battle field, 
while columns of lifeless bodies were ob- 
served in a standing position, there being no 
place for the dead to fall. 

A story was told by one of the Belgian 
officers of a German soldier who, when 
wounded by a Belgian in a hand-to-hand 
combat, took out a coin and presented it. 
The Belgian, surprised, exclaimed ^'Zijt gij 
zot?" (Are you crazy?) ^'Do you not know 
that I've broken your arm?" ^'Yes," said 
the German, ''This is to show my gratitude 
for the favor youVe rendered me, since it 
gives me the opportunity of leaving the bat- 
tle field." 

Much was said about the valor of the sol- 
diers on both sides during the siege of Liege. 
The Germans were obliged to advance in 



62 From Convent to Conflict 

the face of destructive fires. If one should 
retreat, he would be pierced by the bayonet 
of the soldier behind him. 

Certain it is, whether we observe the Ger- 
mans as friends or foes, all must admit that 
their courage, endurance and military tac- 
tics have surprised the whole world. 

Sad it is to think that such manhood, in- 
telligence and bravery is not trained to love 
the conquests of peace. 

The Belgians, far inferior in number, 
fought with a valor which clearly shows 
the undying love of country and of freedom 
which has ever been a distinguishing char- 
acteristic of this noble-minded race. 

It is not the first time that her fields have 
been deluged with the blood of her heroes, 
in whose honor and memory we find, in the 
flag of Belgium, beside the yellow, which 
signifies the kingdom, a red stripe to remind 
her people of the blood shed for freedom, 
and a black stripe in mourning for her slain. 

While facing death in this first great bat- 
tle at the fortress of Liege, one of the sol- 
diers began to sing the well-known national 
hymn, ^The Proud Flemish Lion," Im^ 



From Convent to Conflict 63 

mediately the strains were taken up by the 
whole regiment, and thus singing, they ad- 
vanced until hundreds of them fell in that 
awful conflict. 

In the heaviest of the fray we were told 
that King Albert had placed himself in the 
lines with his soldiers. He did not desire 
to be called king, but comrade. His mili- 
tary dress was distinguished from the others 
by only a small mark on one of the sleeves. 
He attended to the correspondence for his 
soldiers and was regarded by them as a 
friend and father, under whose guidance 
they were ready to fight and die. 

When the siege was over he visited the 
wounded in many of the hospitals and ad- 
dressed each soldier in person. 

As I remember, the siege of Liege lasted 
about two weeks. Finally, the strong walls 
of the fortress began to give way, thus dem- 
onstrating the uselessness of the old-time 
means of protection when obliged to with- 
stand the shells and bombs of modern siege, 
guns. 

The German officers themselves praised 
the valor of the Belgians. We were 



64 From Convent to Conflict 

told that the German commander refused 
to accept the sword from the Belgian officer, 
unwilling to submit the latter to this humili- 
ation, since it was not for want of valor or 
through any fault of his that the fort had to 
be surrendered, but on account of the su- 
perior forces of the enemy and the all-de- 
stroying power of his heavy siege guns, 
some of which were said to shoot a distance 
of nearly thirty miles. 

Needless to dwell upon the horrors which 
took place throughout the length and 
breadth of the country after the entrance of 
the enormous army of the Germans, whose 
plans had been so unexpectedly frustrated 
by the determined resistance of the Bel- 
gians. 

These fought long and valiantly in expec- 
tation of assistance from the Allies, who, un- 
prepared for the sudden progress of the 
campaign, were unable to render the neces- 
sary assistance in the beginning of the war. 
This is the explanation which was given by 
both the French and English as to the tar- 
diness in the arrival of the help expected 
from those countries. 



From Convent to Conflict 65 

After the fall of Liege, when the enemy 
entered the city, the Rt. Rev. Bishop of the 
diocese, the Burgomaster of the city and 
several others of the more prominent resi- 
dents were taken prisoners as hostages. 
These, as a rule, are put to death if the re- 
quirements of the enemy be not exactly met. 

Some time later we heard that these hos- 
tages were set at liberty. 

Then followed the destruction of many 
cities, towns and villages along the route, 
including the noted City of Louvain, the 
heart of Catholic Belgium, the principal 
place of her Christian educational institu- 
tions, and the seat of her missionary forces. 

Consternation filled the minds of the Bel- 
gians at the needless destruction of this an- 
cient city, with its treasures of art and sculp- 
ture, its schools, colleges, libraries, and par- 
ticularly its world-renowned university. 



66 From Convent to Conflict 

CHAPTER VIII. 

The Carnage of Battle. 

After the fall of Liege and Namur, the 
destruction of Louvain and a number of 
noted cities, towns and villages, our minds 
were concerned with that awe-inspiring 
event — the advance of the enemy to Brus- 
sels. 

Well do we remember that beautiful sum- 
mer evening, when our prayers and evening 
meditation in the chapel were disturbed for 
about an hour by the continuous whirl of 
automobiles passing the Convent. We were 
told that evening that it was the departure of 
the legislative body from Brussels to An- 
twerp, with the archives and treasures of the 
Government. 

Our hearts seemed to grow cold and lead- 
en within us as we sat there hoping, praying, 
fearing, yet instinctively feeling the doom so 
rapidly approaching. 

One gloomy, rainy day, word came that 
over two thousand soldiers of the Civil 
Guard had lowered their weapons at the 



From Convent to Conflict 67 

approach of the enemy and quietly surren- 
dered the City of Brussels, Belgium's beau- 
tiful capital. To have fought without for- 
tifications against such superior forces as the 
Germans possessed would have been a use- 
less sacrifice of life. 

Strict, in the extreme, were the regula- 
tions enforced by the Germans in the differ- 
ent places which they entered. They also 
levied enormous war taxes. Bold and un- 
daunted even to the verge of imprudence, as 
was then remarked by the Belgians, was the 
conduct of Burgomaster Max, of Brussels, 
in his conduct toward the enemy. 

The work of strengthening and complet- 
ing the fortification of Willebroeck, said to 
be amongst the strongest in the world, con- 
tinued, while a large number of soldiers, as 
watch guards, were constantly on duty. 

The electricity which supplied light to 
the village and kept many a motor propell- 
ing, was entirely cut off from the houses and 
public buildings and concentrated at the 
fort. 

Two thousand workmen engaged in the 
paper factories of Mr. Louis De Naeyer 



68 From Convent to Conflict 

were out of work. Charitable ladies, aided 
by Madame De Naeyer, of the Castle of 
Willebroeck, and assisted in the work by 
some of the Sisters, met daily at the Boys' 
Public School and made ready a good, 
strong soup, which was dealt out in cans or 
pitchers to the destitute families of these 
poor workmen. 

The paper factories, the Castle of Blaes- 
velt, belonging to a former Belgian Ambas- 
sador to Washington, whose wife was a na- 
tive of that city, and the large and newly 
equipped breweries of the Erix families, 
were stripped of their machinery and made 
to serve as fortresses byboring holes through 
their walls for the reception of cannon and 
mettrailleusen (machine guns). The paper 
factory itself, commanding a good position 
near the bridge of the canal, was so arranged 
that it could be flooded at a moment's warn- 
ing; and this was actually done, as we were 
informed by the refugees in England, when 
the battle at the fortress took place prior to 
the fall of Antwerp. 

During the progress of the campaign in 
the vicinity at that time, several occur- 



From Convent to Conflict 69 



rences affected, in a great measure, every 
aspect of daily life for the quiet residents 
of Willebroeck, and particularly for the 
Sisters, unaccustomed as they were to any 
participation in the affairs of the world, ex- 
cept such as were imperative for the direc- 
tion and maintenance of their schools. 

These were: First, the arrival of the Red 
Cross and wounded soldiers, some six weeks 
before our departure from Antwerp; sec- 
ond, the return of the army; third, the flight 
of the refugees ; fourth, the daily increasing 
and ever nearer approaching roar of the 
cannonade. 

One afternoon in the middle of August a 
large, heavy wagon was drawn into the 
yard. It bore the flag of the Red Cross on 
top, and on the side in great white letters the 
words '^Military Hospital." 

In a few minutes a fleshy little gentleman, 
who at once distinguished himself as the 
^'Chef" (chief), and a number of other gen- 
tlemen, about thirty-five in all, wearing 
white bands with red crosses on their arms, 
and long white linen coats over their uni- 
forms, such as bakers sometimes wear, 



70 From Convent to Conflict 

were seen hurrying to and fro, unpacking 
and carrying their various instruments and 
utensils to the operating room. 

A military chaplain and four or more 
doctors accompanied the group. All except 
the chaplain were dressed in uniform. Sev- 
eral young ladies of Willebroeck, former 
members of our Boarding-school, dressed in 
white and wearing the head-dress and arm- 
band of the Red Cross, came next day and 
graciously presented themselves to aid in 
taking care of the wounded. 

The services rendered by the Red Cross 
in time of war is simply inestimable. "When 
circumstances permit, there are three differ- 
ent posts or places where the wounded are 
treated," said the village doctor who assisted 
in training the young lady volunteers to the 
Red Cross army. "The first post is only a 
few yards distant from the battle field and 
as near as posible to the firing line. This 
post is very dangerous. Only volunteers 
are sent there, as a rule. The members go 
out on the field in search of the wounded, 
amid the continual bursting of partially ex- 
ploded shells. One careless step may cause 



From Convent to Conflict 71 

serious wounds or instant death. Then 
again, after a battle has been fought, there 
is occasional shooting, even in the night; but 
the members of the Red Cross have conse- 
crated themselves to the service of the sick 
and wounded soldiers, and God gives them 
strength and courage according to their ne- 
cessities." 

When found, the wounded are brought 
into the first post on stretchers or in ambu- 
lance wagons, and only those attentions 
which are absolutely necessary are given. 
Then they are taken to the second post or 
hospital, where a more thorough examina- 
tion takes place and the necessary operations 
are performed, which consist principally in 
the extraction of bullets, setting and ampu- 
tation of broken limbs, etc. 

Here they remain until they become con- 
valescent, unless the number of wounded 
soldiers increases to such a degree as to pre- 
vent proper care being taken of them, in 
which case they are taken away to a third 
hospital, where they are supposed to remain 
until their wounds are entirely healed. 



72 From Convent to Conflict 

Then they ardently desire, if not maimed, 
to return again to the front. 

When a seriously wounded soldier is 
brought into the hospital, he is stripped of 
his clothing, wrapped in a sheet and carried 
to the operating room. This service is 
rendered by the gentlemen of the Red 
Cross. One or more of the lady nurses as- 
sist at the operation. If the soldier is mor- 
tally wounded and there is apprehension of 
immediate dissolution, he remains in the 
sheets and is lovingly cared for by these gen- 
tlemen until death occurs. Then the body 
is rolled in the sheet, placed in a cofEn and 
buried the next day. 

Coffins were provided by our village for 
the soldiers who died in our hospital. One 
day nine were carried away to the cemetery; 
another day, two; then one or two. Sev- 
eral were dead or at the point of death 
when they were brought into the hospital. 

One poor factory woman came inquiring 
for her husband. We did not dare tell her 
that he died immediately when brought in, 
but left this sad task for Rev. Mother Su- 
perior. 



From Convent to Conflict 73 

On another day a woman and her daugh- 
ter-in-law came from a great distance in- 
quiring for her son, the young woman's hus- 
band. Heart-rending was their anguish 
when they were told that he was already 
a week buried. These and numberless cases 
of like character indicate what war is, even 
when viewed from a favorable standpoint. 

All the clothing of the wounded soldiers 
was carried at once to our new steam laun- 
dry, where it underwent a most thorough 
washing and disinfection. This clothing 
was, for the most part, stiff with mud, 
saturated with blood and badly torn. When 
dried it was given back to those in charge 
of the army. The Sisters and servant-maids 
performed this work. They were assisted 
by the women refugees of Willebroeck, 
whose houses were burned off on account of 
the fortress. Washing took place every day 
and continued untjl late in the night. 

The condition of the poor maimed sol- 
diers was sad to behold. One man, we were 
tcld by the Red Cross nurses, had twenty 
bullets in his body; another was pierced 
through the lung by a bayonet; one, aged 



74 From Convent to Conflict 

twenty, lost an arm to the shoulder ; one had 
only one or two fingers left on the hand; 
one was crazed by a bullet which touched 
the brain; another was shot through the 
mouth, the bullet lodging in the back of the 
throat. His case was especially distress- 
ing, his the most intense suffering of all. He 
lived for a week without eating, drinking 
or speaking. 

Three wounded Germans were brought 
in, being picked up on the battle field by 
members of our division of the Red Cross. 
They seemed greatly distressed and afraid, 
positively refusing to touch food or drink 
of which the Sisters or nurses did not first 
partake. One was a German lieutenant, 
under whose direction, as he himself admit- 
ted, great damage had been done in one 
of the large cities. He was given the 
distinction of a bed among the Belgian 
officers. He was very ill at ease in their 
presence, in the beginning, but becoming 
reassured and observing the impartiality of 
Sisters and nurses, he desired to remain in 
our hospital rather than be removed to a 
third post. 



From Convent to Conflict 7 



/3 



One day we were called upon to witness 
a most sorrowful sight. A small farmer's 
wagon drove up to the gate, bearing the life- 
less bodies of two children, a girl aged eight 
and her brother, aged fourteen. The mother 
and a smaller child were also in the wagon. 
The mother related that they were taking 
flight as refugees. Seeing the enemy, they 
hastened to retreat, and were fired at by the 
soldiers. The children, who were in the 
back part of the wagon, were struck and 
wounded in a most frightful manner. The 
little girl's face was nearly all torn off, and 
the back of the boy's head had been shat- 
tered. 

At the approach of Belgian soldiers, who 
fired at the enemy, the mother was enabled 
to pick up the lifeless bodies of her children, 
put them into the wagon and drive with 
them to our hospital, which was the nearest 
post. 

These people were from Nieuwenrode, 
Province of Brabant. It was said that 
many German soldiers were in ambush, in 
this region, although no battle had occurred 
there. The Doctors Van Everbroeck and 



76 From Convent to Conflict 

DeLatte, who examined the bodies of these 
children, stated that they were shot at a dis- 
tance of twenty meters. 

The mother, suffering greatly from the 
shock, and the remaining child were taken 
to the village hospital. 

Flour, soap and washing soda were sup- 
plied by the Government for the use of the 
soldiers. The Sisters performed the work 
and used a great deal of their own provi- 
sions for the wounded. A large quantity 
of linen for sheets, gowns and hand towels, 
was supplied by the ^^Chef" of the Red 
Cross. The Sisters, when not engaged in 
other work, spent the time in folding, hem- 
ming and stitching these articles and in pre- 
paring surgical dressings for the wounded. 

Several Sisters and at least two lady nurses 
remained in charge of the different wards 
day and night. The most perfect order and 
discipline prevailed. The wounded soldiers 
who were at all able to get around walked 
in the garden or rested and visited with 
their families, who came to see them. 

The tender care of mothers for their chil- 
dren could not surpass the devoted kindness 



From Convent to Conflict 77 

of the members of the Red Cross in their 
services to the wounded. Nothing that 
could be done to assist or alleviate their suf- 
ferings was omitted. The soldiers were to 
each other as brothers of one family. We 
have seen them carrying in, on stretchers, 
their weary, foot-sore comrades, and with 
the tenderest care take oft the clumsy, mud- 
dy shoes, gently strip the blistered feet of 
the coarse stockings and, on bended knees, 
bathe and bandage them. 

The first division of the Red Cross which 
came to our Hospital was with us about five 
weeks. One evening about seven o'clock, 
some time after Brussels had been occupied 
by the Germans, a dispatch came to the 
^'Chef" commanding the Red Cross to leave 
Willebroeck at once and go to another sta- 
tion. Again there was hurrying to and fro. 
The large wagon was opened and every- 
thing hastily packed in. In the different 
wards the poor wounded soldiers, obliged 
to leave their beds, were sitting silent and 
motionless, while tears were in their eyes. 
Later in the night motor cars came and took 
them all away. The German lieutenant, 



78 From Convent to Conflict 

on account of the condition in which he was 
found by the physicians, could not be re- 
moved at that time and remained until the 
departure of the second ambulance. 

Preparations for the departure of the Red 
Cross continued most of the night. With 
the continual running back and forth, and 
the noise produced by taking up and laying 
down boxes and bundles, there was no rest 
to be obtained. 

Before seven in the morning all the wards 
were empty. One or two soldiers, whose 
condition did not permit of their removal, 
still remained. All noise and commotion 
had ceased and the silence of death reigned 
in the house. 

A day or two of repose would have been 
a welcome boon to the Sisters, who were 
much fatigued at that time. However, rest 
was impossible, as we obtained a message 
that another division of the Red Cross was 
on its way to our hospital. So it happened 
that all the rooms and various apartments 
had to be cleaned and rearranged at once. 
This work took place immediately. Two 
days later, although the pungent smell of 



From Convent to Conflict 79 

disinfectants still pervaded the air, every 
ward was as neat and clean as if no wounded 
soldiers, no death, nor sorrow had entered 
there. 

We did not know the cause of the sudden 
departure of the Red Cross, as the strictest 
secrecy was observed by the officers of the 
army; but we remarked a little later that 
this departure was necessary on account of 
the rapid advance of the fast-approaching 
enemy and the evident possibility of a heavy 
pitched battle at the fortress. In such a case 
the convalescent could not remain longer 
than was absolutely necessary. They were 
obliged to go in order to make place for the 
numerous wounded who were yet to come. 



8o From Convent to Conflict 

CHAPTER IX. 

The Return of the Army. 

A little after four o'clock one afternoon, 
shortly before the departure of the first divi- 
sion of the Red Cross, our attention was at- 
tracted by the heavy and continuous tread of 
cavalry and soldiers passing along the street. 
It was the Belgian army returning from a 
long and tiresome march. 

Here was found a different kind of suf- 
fering from that which was ministered to in 
the hospital. Hunger and fatigue were 
stamped upon the countenance of each of 
these men, who, about a month before were 
industrious citizens at their daily occupa- 
tions. 

We saw them marching away in the early 
morning some time before, full of courage 
and patriotic zeal. For what reason they 
all marched off, or where they were going, 
we knew not; but were informed later by 
one of the officers that while on the march 
they had been attacked by the enemy, who 
were stealthily concealed, and fired into 



From Convent to Conflict 8i 

their ranks from both sides of the road. Sev- 
eral of the soldiers were killed and a large 
number wounded, but, having retreated 
promptly and in order, no great loss of life 
was sustained. 

There were in the ranks priests, in their 
long black cassocks, wearing the arm-band 
of the Red Cross, who, as volunteer chap- 
lains, had joined the army and were ever at 
the service of the soldiers on the march, and 
even on the battle field. We were informed 
that priests, and those preparing for the 
priesthood, were not obliged to serve in the 
army in times of peace ; but, in case of war, 
they may be called upon to serve as military 
chaplains. When the present war broke 
out, hundreds of them joined as volunteers, 
marching in the ranks with the soldiers and 
undergoing their sufferings and hardships. 

Many doctors rode along in motor cars. 
They were distinguished by a special dark- 
colored uniform, with a red collar and gild- 
ed trimmings. They also wore the arm- 
band of the Red Cross. Officers on horse- 
back led each division of the army. The 
faces of all were disfigured with sweat and 



82 From Convent to Conflict 

dust, while dust in abundance covered shoes 
and clothing. Some were staggering along, 
unable to walk straight, owing to the hard 
shoes and blistered feet. Hollow-cheeked, 
and with eyes which seemed to protrude 
from their sockets, they passed along, pite- 
ously imploring a morsel of bread. 

Fortunately^ the abundant supply of bread 
in the Convent had just been increased by 
the addition of forty of those immense 
loaves found only in Belgium. All of this 
was hastily cut, buttered and, with baskets 
full of pears, dealt out, piece by piece, to 
the passing soldiers, until, finally, only a 
small portion remained over for the supper 
of the wounded remaining in the hospital. 

The servant maids went out to the village 
later in search of bread, but there was not a 
loaf to be found anywhere. All had been 
given to the soldiers. Two Sisters and one 
of the maids remained up all night. The 
oven was again heated and the usual supply 
of bread doubled. 

Every large locale in the village from 
which, by the way, all non-resident refu- 
gees were obliged to depart, received the 



From Convent to Conflict 83 

various divisions of the army which were 
allotted to them. About two hundred sol- 
diers were assigned to those parts of our 
Parochial School unoccupied by the vil- 
lage refugees or not in use by the Red Cross. 

Before the command was given to enter 
the schools, we saw soldiers, among whom 
were also priests, lying on the ground on the 
opposite side of the street, even as horses 
which, having run a great distance, fall 
down from sheer exhaustion. Some of these, 
we learned afterwards, did not have their 
shoes off in nearly three weeks. The socks, 
hard and worn out, were in some cases 
stamped into the blistered feet in such a 
manner as to cause excruciating pain. In 
some cases the feet were so painful and swol- 
len that the patients had to be carried in on 
stretchers. In the meantime, several ambu- 
lance wagons had stopped at the school gate, 
and numerous wounded were carried in. 

When finally one division entered d' Ex- 
ternat, a hasty search was begun for hay and 
straw. All that could be found was carried 
into the garret of the schools and the empty 
classrooms. 



84 From Convent to Conflict 

The refugees of Willebroeck were very 
generous to the soldiers, giving them all the 
provisions which they could find. Many 
soldiers were seen with pails in their hands 
in search of water. Of this there was a 
good supply on the place, and more could 
readily be obtained at the cistern which was 
connected with the canal. In a short time 
they were refreshed and cleansed from the 
dust and sweat of that long and tiresome 
march, and were observed sitting in groups 
on the grass which surrounded the school. 

Soon after a large door, which one of the 
refugees carried away from his house in the 
village before it was burned, was found. 
This was laid on two small heaps of stone, 
so as to form a table. About half an ox was 
procured and a large part of it chopped into 
small pieces and put into a big iron kettle, 
which was then filled with water. The ket- 
tle was placed on a wood fire kindled in the 
garden, and potatoes and other ingredients 
put into it. After a time it began to boil in 
a lively manner, greatly to the satisfaction 
of those poor hungry men who were so pa- 
tiently waiting for their supper. When this 



From Convent to Conflict 85 

finally was ready, the knapsacks were 
opened and each took out a spoon and a 
small tin can, the cover of which served for 
plate, cup and saucer. 

Probably the German General Staff failed 
to enjoy their bounteous supper that evening 
as well as did the poor Belgian soldiers their 
soup on the cool green grass. It must be re- 
marked that each division was under the di- 
rection of an officer, who placed armed 
guards at the gates and passages. Perfect 
order prevailed. They talked quietly among 
themselves and remained strictly within the 
places assigned to their use; only once in a 
while one of them would knock at the 
kitchen door and ask for a can of water, 
which was soon understood to mean a can 
of cold coffee. This was never refused, 
and the grateful ''Mercie" (thanks) was 
ample reward for the service rendered. 

That night passed quietly. The soldiers 
had a good opportunity to rest on the hay 
and straw which had been provided. Some 
of them were astir at a very early hour. The 
large kettle was again placed over the fire 
and filled with water for the soldiers' break- 



86 From Convent to Conflict 

fast of bread and black coffee. Their only 
fear was that a message to depart would ar- 
rive before they would have a chance of 
^*Coffie drinken" (drinking coffee, or break- 
fast). 

At about eight o'clock one evening during 
the stay of the soldiers an excited group of 
eight men and two boys ran wildly into the 
yard through the gate, which had been left 
open for the soldiers not yet arrived. Great 
drops of sweat were on their faces. They 
were out of breath from running, and great- 
ly excited. Some were bare-footed, having 
lost or thrown away their wooden shoes in 
the great haste to escape the enemy, who, 
they related, had entered a village three 
or four miles distant and had taken as pris- 
oners a number of citizens and placed them 
in front of their own ranks. The boys had 
lost their parents in the confusion which en- 
sued and were crying bitterly. They found 
a resting place somewhere in the schools 
that night and departed early next morning, 
because non-resident refugees were not per- 
mitted to remain after the arrival of the Red 
Cross. 



From Convent to Conflict 87 

The soldiers were called away several 
times for short intervals, after which they 
again returned for a rest. Thus the month 
of August passed. The frightful campaign 
progressed slowly but surely. Several times 
we had seen the hostile aeroplane, with its 
shining armor glittering in the sunshine, fly- 
ing gracefully over our schools. How we 
then feared for our wounded, so helplessly 
lying within these same walls. One morn- 
ing, about three o'clock, we were suddenly 
awakened by heavy, oft-repeated shooting, 
which seemed to proceed from the farther 
end of our garden. The alarm was caused 
by the appearance of an aeroplane soarixig 
as a huge bird over the fortress. Mettrail- 
leusen opened fire upon it, and the unwel- 
come visitor soon disappeared. However, 
we all feared its reappearance in the night. 
For this reason the towns and cities were 
kept in total darkness from eight o'clock in 
the evening, and searchlights illumined the 
dark clouds over and around the fortresses 
and other places of particular importance. 

About this time we were informed that 
several thousand of the enemy's soldiers 



88 From Convent to Conflict 

were digging trenches and fortifying them- 
selves on all sides of us. Every newspaper 
brought fresh tidings of most inhuman 
atrocities which filled the minds of the peo- 
ple with unspeakable horror. 

In Belgium it was neither the German 
nation nor her soldiers, considered as a 
whole, who were held responsible for these 
awful outrages, because it was well known 
that there were among them many noble 
characters and Christians, renowned for 
their piety and fidelity tO: God and country^ 
who were sacrificing their lives for what 
they thought to be a just and holy cause and 
whose families were also suffering and sor- 
rowing at home. 

It was alone, as should be known by every- 
one, the Godless element in the German 
army, led on and sustained by equally God- 
less officers, who encouraged, permitted and 
probably commanded those crimes, as we in- 
fer from the testimony of German wounded 
soldiers in our Red Cross hospitals. "If we 
do not shoot, burn and pillage," said one 
of them, "we shall be shot ourselves." 



From Convent to Conflict 89 

It seems incredible that any one claiming 
Christian convictions of any creed or coun- 
try, could have acted as did the so-called 
barbarians who despoiled many of the most 
beautiful cities, towns and villages of Bel- 
gium. 



go From Convent to Conflict 



CHAPTER X. 
Anxious Days. 

Early one morning, while passing through 
the yard, we heard what seemed to be peals 
of distant thunder. We looked around to see 
if a storm was approaching, but as the sun 
shone brightly and not a cloud was to be 
seen in the sky, we soon realized what this 
dismal sound implied. On entering the 
Convent, we found several of our members 
standing by the map of Belgium, tracing 
the route of portions of the German army 
then endeavoring to force their way through 
to Antwerp. 

The firing heard in the garden came from 
the bombardment of the City of Mechelen. 
The first attack did not continue so long, nor 
was the damage so great, as in the attacks 
which followed. The noise of the cannon- 
ade increased from that day forward. Hard- 
ly a day or night passed without bringing 
the unwelcome sound from one or the other 
direction. It often happened that, having 
retired at a late hour after a long and f atigu- 



From Convent to Conflict 91 

ing day's work, the short repose was inter- 
rupted by the explosion of bombs or cannon 
balls, which, although then at a safe dis- 
tance from our village, was none the less 
terrifying. 

In this most cruel war battles continued 
in the night as well as in the day. When 
time was asked by either army to remove 
the wounded, it was refused, because each 
mistrusted the motives of the other, thinking 
that, instead of removing the wounded, they 
would utilize the time thus gained in pre- 
paring for another attack. 

About the first of September we went to 
Antwerp for a day or two. While on the train 
we saw the wires stretched from place to 
place, and heard explained the intended use 
of electricity at the fortress. Antwerp was 
at that time, still and peaceful, as a child who 
slumbered, feeling perfectly safe within her 
lines of fortifications. About eight o'clock 
in the evening every light had to be put out, 
and the place resembled a city of the dead. 

On returning about twelve o'clock on 
Sunday, with the Sister who accompanied 
me, we found some wounded brought in. 



92 From Convent to Conflict 

who were pierced by bayonets at a short dis- 
tance from our house. Their condition was 
critical, but they recovered sufficiently to be 
taken to Antwerp within the following 
week. 

A day or two later, while crossing the 
yard, we suddenly heard that sissing, crack- 
ling sound of a shell or bomb flying through 
the air in the direction of the church spire 
which towered above the walls of the Con- 
vent chapel. Several others followed in 
quick succession. All the convalescent sol- 
diers who were in the yard, the Sisters and 
ladies in the garden, hastened to take refuge 
in the cellars. 

We feared for the wounded soldiers with- 
in, who could not leave their beds. Soon 
the attack was answered by a heavy volley 
from the fortress, and the cannonade con- 
tmued until early next morning. 

A day or two later one of the refugees 
visited the place where the cannonade of the 
fortress had swept the entire region as if a 
tornado had passed over it. On returning 
he related that parts of human bodies hung 
on the trees and filled the hedges. 



From Convent to Conflict 93 

When the danger became imminent, the 
older Sisters and those who were ill, or in 
any way disabled, were advised by the Rev. 
Superior to seek refuge in the more secluded 
mission houses of the Community, and to 
all who desired, permission was given to do 
the same, or to return to their families for 
the time being. This was done on account 
of the inadvisability of any one's remaining 
at the convent during a battle, since the 
buildings were in close proximity to the 
fortress. 

Some of the Sisters packed their trunks 
and sent them to the homes of their families. 
This precaution did not avail much, as the 
families of many of our members had to 
leave their homes as refugees and probably 
lost all their personal property. 

Although all were permitted to seek safe- 
ty in other places, only the older members 
and two or three of the younger Sisters 
availed themselves of the opportunity. All 
save these gathered around the Superior and 
her assistant, and promised voluntarily to 
remain to the very last to assist in the care 
of the wounded, whose number increased 



94 From Convent to Conflict 

daily since the arrival of the second division 
of the Red Cross. 

On several occasions spies were arrested 
in Willebroeck and taken away. Some were 
arrested in Brussels and Antwerp in the 
garb of priests. It was authoritatively re- 
ported that supplies of weapons and ammu- 
nition, among which was dynamite, were 
found in public buildings in Antwerp, care- 
fully hidden away in the basements. This 
aroused distrust on the part of the Belgians 
for the resident Germans, whom they had 
always treated with the greatest confidence 
and respect. 

The result was that all the Germans then 
in Belgium were expelled from the country 
and had to return to their own land. This 
was, indeed, a hardship for the unoffending 
resident Germans, whose homes for years 
had been in the cities and towns of this little 
kingdom. 

We retired at a late hour one night amid 
the incessant booming of cannon. Scarcely 
were our eyes closed when some one passed 
in the dormitory and knocked at each door. 
"Ave Maria" was the quiet greeting. "Deo 



From Convent to Conflict 95, 

Gratias," the response. "What is it?" was 
asked. ''The Germans have entered and are 
crossing the bridge," was the reply. 

With beating heart and trembling limbs, 
each sprang up and was dressed in a few 
minutes. In a state of great excitement, all 
stood in the hall ready to receive orders 
from the Superior, who had gone down- 
stairs to make inquiries about the situation. 
At the first sound of the alarm a party of 
soldiers and their officer went out to ascer- 
tain the facts in the case, as the bridge 
where the enemy were said to be crossing 
was not far distant. 

All the inhabitants of the village were on 
the alert. By the time the Sisters were ready 
to depart, the soldeirs had returned, whose 
officer laughingly related that it was only a 
party of Belgian "Lanciers" in gray uni- 
form, whom the Burgomaster of Blaesvelt 
had mistaken for German soldiers, and 
thought it his duty to spread the alarm. 

All retired quietly to their rooms once 
more, but no one rested much the remainder 
of the night. 



96 From Convent to Conflict 

Then followed anxious days for the resi- 
dents of Willebroeck, who expected mo- 
mentarily to hear the alarm clock in the 
church tower give notice to flee for their 
lives. The oflicers of the Belgian army 
were very sanguine, and assured the Supe- 
rior and those in charge of the wounded 
that timely notice would be given if the dan- 
ger increased. 

Nevertheless, the crackling of shells, the 
heavy cannonade from the fortress and field 
cannon, and the occasional proximity of 
those hostile aeroplanes, together with the 
reports of atrocities and destruction taking 
place around us, were fearsome in the ex- 
treme. 

In striking contrast to the noise and com- 
motion on all sides, was the calm tranquil- 
ity which reigned in the chapel. The 
Sacred Heart stretched forth that same Fa- 
therly hand which assisted the apostle sink- 
ing on the Sea of Galilee. The altar was 
still and solitary, but the little red light 
flickered in the sanctuary lamp and told of 
Him whose word alone stilled the winds 
and calmed the angry waves. 



From Convent to Conflict 97 

In the circumstances which then existed, 
one would almost envy the dead resting so 
quietly in the old-time vault, in the shadow 
of the tabernacle. 

Lights were forbidden after a certain 
hour, but the moon shone through the 
stained windows and wrought fantastic de- 
signs on the gilded molding, while the mild 
and peaceful looks which characterize the 
images of the saints told of heroism and 
victories won on the battle field of life, in 
the pursuit of peace and sanctity, and car- 
ried the mind to that future and better life 
where neither the pride, avarice, nor am- 
bition of man can ever destroy the eternal 
peace, nor break the impregnable union of 
hearts. 



98 From Convent to Conflict 

CHAPTER XI. 

The Flight of the Refugees. 

While the aforesaid events were taking 
place, sorrowful scenes were witnessed 
along the streets. Our attention and sympa- 
thies were particularly attracted to the flight 
of the refugees. In this case we could give 
no material assistance, as we were able to do 
in other cases. 

For hours and days and weeks the dole- 
ful procession passed along the streets ; a liv- 
ing stream made up of all ranks and classes 
of society. Here were seen the poor old 
farmer's household, whose sons had gone to 
the front; and young married women, with 
small children in their arms or by their 
sides, whose husbands had to don the sol- 
dier's uniform and go to the war. The sick, 
the old and the feeble were taken from their 
beds of suffering and, with shawls or blan- 
kets thrown over their shoulders, placed in 
carts or wagons and carried away, perhaps, 
to perish by the roadside. We have seen 



From Convent to Conflict 99 

cripples and small children hurriedly driven 
along the street in wheelbarrows. 

Packages carried on their arms, on their 
backs, or in little carts were about all that 
the poor people could take, and all that they 
desired, so confident were they of a speedy 
return to their homes. 

On another day about the end of August, 
the unbroken line which filed through the 
street at noon was, without any interruption, 
passing through at twelve o'clock that night. 
As the cities, towns and villages were, for 
the most part, taken by surprise, or bom- 
barded without having received any notice, 
the civilians had no alternative but to col- 
lect a few necessary articles of clothing, and 
in some cases a loaf of bread, and flee in 
haste from their homes, leaving crops, cat- 
tle, furniture and all their possessions to the 
fury of the flames and the tide of destruc- 
tion, so rapidly sweeping down upon them. 

Many people of the wealthier class, antic- 
ipating what was to come, had packed 
trunks and boxes with clothing and other 
personal property and sent them away to 
what was considered safe quarters. Then 



loo From Convent to Conflict 

they moved away within the fortifications of 
Antwerp, where it was thought the enemy 
could not enter. Others, in the firm hope 
that the war would soon be over and that 
they would be able to return to their home- 
steads in a few days, left everything un- 
touched and fled from city to village and 
from town to town. We met parties of ac- 
quaintances in Antwerp who had changed 
their places of residence nine times within 
one month, and then were obliged to leave 
Antwerp in a day or two. 

Some let their cattle run loose in the 
meadows. These were shot down or taken 
by the soldiers, or appropriated by any one 
who desired. 

It was most pitiful to see these poor peo- 
ple, whose only object was to get away as 
far as possible from the scenes of conflict. 
Some carried small loaves of bread; others 
had a little hay or straw in their wagons; 
some led a cow or two; others two or three 
pigs. In some of the carts we recognized 
faces of our former pupils, who only one 
short month before were longing for the 
pleasant vacation days. Their fathers or 



From Convent to Conflict ioi 

brothers were in the army, and their homes 
forsaken. Some children had lost their 
parents and were crying piteously. When 
the Sisters left the parish church, where 
they daily took part in the public devotions 
for peace, they were besieged by hundreds 
of these poor, half-frantic refugees, beseech- 
ing shelter over night in the church or 
schools, which were already full to over- 
flowing. The days were warm and pleas- 
ant, but the nights were very chilly and 
sometimes rainy. Where would those poor 
people go and what could they do without 
food or shelter for all those little children? 
The friendly stars looked down from the 
realms above upon thousands who lay along 
the roadside, while others crowded the barns 
and country schools, or made rude tent-like 
shelters in the bed of the new canal. 

This canal would have been opened in 
September with great festivities, over which 
King Albert was expected to preside. 

Peace or security was nowhere to be 
found. The war-chased people fled from 
place to place for weeks, fearful and fam- 
ishing, until the kindly and protecting arms 



I02 From Convent to Conflict 

of England and Holland received them, and 
the noble hearts and hands of American 
women united to provide food and clothing 
for those who fled, and for the others also 
who would not, or could not, leave their 
own country. 

While cheerfully and gratefully testify- 
ing to what has been accomplished in this 
country, and the great amount of money 
spent in alleviating the sufferings caused by 
this sanguinary conflict, it does seem sad to 
think that American manufacturers will 
continue to supply weapons and ammuni- 
tion to any of the belligerent countries. It 
reminds one of a great conflagration, in 
which the firemen exert themselves to sub- 
due the flames, while a few pour on oil to 
replenish the fire. This will be a last- 
ing reproach to those engaged in this de- 
stroying traffic. ''There is no pocket in a 
shroud," and the bloodstained money ob- 
tained in this manner will not assuage the 
pain and grief of the orphan and widow, 
nor will it purchase redemption at the judg- 
ment seat above. 



From Convent to Conflict io-: 



3 



As the danger increased, difficulties in 
the way of traveling also increased. Pass- 
ports, upon which were indicated the dis- 
tinguishing characteristics of the bearer, 
had to be obtained before leaving one's place 
of residence, if only for one hour; and such 
passports could only be used in the vicinity 
in which they were issued. 

To go to Antwerp, or any of the cities or 
towns at a distance, one's passport had to 
bear his or her portrait, sealed by the Bur- 
gomaster of the town or city wherein he re- 
sided. If these requirements were not com- 
plied with, a person would not be permitted 
to pass through the gate of a city or enter 
even an ordinary depot. 

A great number of refugees found their 
way ultimately within the fortified City of 
Antwerp. They were seen for a day or two 
in solitary groups in the public park, or in 
tents along the streets. In a large school 
near the Palace of Justice fifteen hundred 
found refuge for a few days, and were then 
directed to leave. 

The authorities, becoming alarmed about 
the food and water supplies of the city, and 



I04 From Convent to Conflict 

fearing contagion or disease, compelled all 
refugees who were not obliged to leave their 
homes on account of fortifications, to leave 
the city within a specified time. Large num- 
bers of these poor, homeless people, many 
of whom were of gentle birth and wealthy, 
were obliged to crowd into freight cars 
which had been used for the transportation 
of cattle, and were thus carried away to 
Ghent or Ostend. From Ostend they were 
shipped to England. Many had previous- 
ly left Antwerp for Holland. In these 
countries thousands of them will prayer- 
fully await the dawn of peace, which will 
decide the future destiny of their country. 

The events already related occurred be- 
tween the first of August and the 27th of 
September. Sunday, September 27, passed 
off quietly in Willebroeck, although refu- 
gees filed through the streets continually, 
and the booming of cannon was heard in 
the surrounding towns. The sky was leaden 
and a somber, smoky atmosphere hung over 
the country and caused a feeling of sadness 
and uncertainty. 



From Convent to Conflict io; 

In the evening one of the refugees re- 
turned from a hurried visit to the scene of 
his former home, and related to his daugh- 
ter, who anxiously awaited his arrival, that 
the enemy had made great headway. "To- 
morrow will be the last day in which it will 
be safe to remain in Willebroeck," said he 
to those who stood there. 

In a few minutes the report was circu- 
lated on all sides. Sisters, on hearing it, 
remarked, "Nonsense! What God protects 
is well protected; we must not be alarmed, 
but patiently await the accomplishment of 
God's holy will." Monday's papers brought 
news of another bombardment of the City 
of Mechelen (Malines), a short distance 
from Willebroeck. 

Following are a few quotations from that 
morning's paper (Antwerp's Handelsblad, 
Monday, September 28, 1914) : "While on 
the train this morning, before entering the 
station of Mechelen, our attention was at- 
tracted by the multitudes who, in the great- 
ets haste, took flight through the Zandpoort- 
vest. They were the residents of Muysen. 
The German troops, about eight hundred 



io6 From Convent to Conflict 

strong, were there at half-past seven; thus 
the people had no alternative but to take 
flight as rapidly as possible. The enemy 
shot upon some refugees, and the ten-year- 
old son of Desire Horckmans was shot in 
the car where he was sitting, and Mrs. Arm 
Beulens was seriously wounded. ^This 
was only a sign of what was yet to come.' 

"Scarcely had we reached the station, at 
half-past eight, when we heard the heavy 
roar of cannon, followed by terrific explo- 
sions, such as we had never before heard. 
All the people who had come from the di- 
rection of Antwerp took flight through the 
side streets. At every explosion it seemed 
as if an earthquake shook the ground under 
foot. So heavy were the shocks that many 
people fell. 

"On the Schuttersvest, we found refuge 
in a cellar, while one volley followed an- 
other. The explosions were deafening. 
Every pane of glass in the vicinity was 
broken in pieces. In several places the 
stones were forced out of the pavements 
and thrown to a great distance, while bombs 



From Convent to Conflict 107 

pierced the ground to the depth of two me- 
ters. 

"One can judge the terror in which the 
residents of Mechelen tried to find a place 
of safety. The cannonade was awful, as 
was also the ^Gesis' (sissing noise) of the 
bombs which flew over the streets and, ex- 
ploding, spread fire, death and destruction 
in every direction. 

"A bomb fell just in front of the railroad 
station, making a pit in the ground three 
^meters' in diameter. The place was cov- 
ered with stones, which were violently 
jerked out of the ground. The station is 
half-demolished. No one is there to be 
seen except the lifeless body of an elderly 
gentleman who, with his face to the ground, 
is stretched out on the floor of the waiting- 
room. 

"The beautiful buildings belonging to the 
Little Sisters of the Poor, and many other 
noted buildings have been totally destroyed. 
Thus it was in the few places which we 
have visited. What will it be in other 
places? All the streets through which we 
passed were covered with glass and stones. 



io8 From Convent to Conflict 

In all the city there is not a pane of glass 
which remains whole. All day long the 
Duffel highway was black with refugees, 
which makes us conclude that all Mechelen 
has taken flight." 



From Convent to Conflict 109 

CHAPTER XII. 

The Results of War. 

Centuries ago, when Attila, known in his- 
tory as the "Scourge of God," led his army 
of Huns through the fertile fields of Eu- 
rope, we read that he gazed upon the ruin 
which he had caused his soldiers to perpe- 
trate on all sides, and cried out, "I am the 
hammer of the world, the grass grows no 
more where my horse has trod." 

Well may these same words be applied 
to the armed forces now dominating the 
devastated plains and meadows of what was 
once peaceful Belgium. 

When one passes through the masses of 
falling debris and looks upon the remains of 
cities and villages which have stood for ages 
and in whose monuments and public build- 
ings a more than human strength and beauty 
seemed enclosed, it appears that the Angel 
of Destruction has extended his deadly scep- 
tre over the works of man and congealed 
those streams of life which once flowed 
through the streets now deserted and homes 



no From Convent to Conflict 

made desolate by the unheard-of ferocity of 
civilized man. 

When we try to estimate the amount of 
time, labor, wealth and industry required 
to build up these beautiful places, now strip- 
ped of their grandeur, devoid of life, and 
crumbling into dust, we become awestruck at 
sight of such desolation. The nothingness of 
the much-prized materialism becomes ap- 
parent in the ruins of man's grandest 
achievements, and involuntarily we are 
moved to cry out, "Vanity of vanities ! all is 
vanity," which the evolutions of time can 
change into dust and ashes. 

Again the cruel hand of war is seen in the 
country homes, whose rustic beauty among 
the groves and green meadows so often 
aroused the spirit of song and fascinated the 
lover of Nature in his rambles. The 
churches whose cross-crowned spires,where- 
in the "Klokken" (chimes) so often pealed 
forth the call to prayer, are now abandoned, 
and their battered walls and broken win- 
dows look sadly down upon the deserted 
homesteads from which life has passed 
away. 



From Convent to Conflict i i i 

The schools no more re-echo the gay 
sounds of children's voices, while the fam- 
ishing little ones and their destitute parents 
are dying of hunger and privation or beg- 
ging at the stranger's door. The colleges 
and libraries have delivered their volumes 
to the fury of the flames, and the withering 
blight has scorched the fresh verdure of 
those well-kept gardens and shady lawns 
where kings and princes dwelt. 

Castles have been made into fortresses to 
conceal cannon and machine guns, while the 
deafening roar of exploding bombs replaces 
the gay music of ball and banquet room. 

The red glow of the burning city illum- 
ines the evening sky and reveals in the dark- 
ness the ghastly spectres of partially demol- 
ished walls of the stateliest buildings which 
stand out amid the ever-increasing ruins. 

War has desecrated the churches where 
angels knelt around the Holy of Holies, and 
where the daily Holocaust of Love, and the 
offering of praise and prayers perpetuated 
communion between earth and heaven. 
Have the angels left the altar at sight of the 
sacrilege committed in their presence, or 



112 From Convent to Conflict 

did they weep when the merciless bomb 
struck the house of God and wounded the 
worshipers there? 

Behold the terror-stricken congregation 
leaving St. Rombout's Cathedral and taking 
flight through the streets of Mechelen, amid 
the falling walls and bursting pavements. 
Weeks later we shall meet them again as 
refugees in London, Leeds and Bradford, 
seeking food and shelter in the land of exile. 

See that little coffin, less than two feet 
long! It seems so conspicuous, exposed 
there among the coffins of several soldiers 
who died that night in our hospital. This 
small casket contained the remains of a little 
angel about two months old, who was struck 
in the arms of her mother by a piece of 
exploded shell. 

This woman had hurriedly left her home 
during the second bombardment of the city 
of Mechelen and, having run for some dis- 
tance, sat down by the way to rest, when 
the fatal shell exploded, a piece of which 
mortally wounded the little one in her arms. 
Both were brought to our hospital that 
night and lovingly cared for until about 



From Convent to Conflict i i 3 

morning, when the innocent spirit fled to 
join the army of the blessed who inherit the 
realms of eternal peace. 

Poor mother was left alone to bemoan the 
loss of her little one and to weep over her 
desolate home. 

When one meets the ambulance wagons 
loaded with suffering, mutilated men who 
a few weeks before were sustaining heads of 
happy households; when one sees the dark 
red stream flowing from ghastly wounds 
and splashes of blood on all sides ; when one 
observes the pallor of death on the strong 
man's face, while a comrade with tender 
pity bends over to obtain a last message for 
home; when one hears the despairing wail 
of orphan and widow; when one has 
watched the endless procession of terror- 
stricken refugees whose homes have become 
the prey of the cannon, when one hears re- 
peatedly the sad experience of these exiles 
on their journeys from place to place, lying 
on hay or straw, in barns, in schools, on the 
bare ground, or in the basin of the empty 
canal, when one meditates on those perverse 
circumstances which have changed civilized 



114 From Convent to Conflict 

men into savage brutes — then we also agree 
that '^The world has gone back a thousand 
years," while a presentiment as of impend- 
ing disaster passes over the earth and de- 
presses each individual heart. 

"Cast yourselves upon the knees and pray 
for victory," cry out Christian monarchs to 
their soldiers, and, nevertheless, the God to 
whom they pray is witness to the wanton 
desecration of His churches and the whole- 
sale destruction of life, liberty and property. 

From the dark abodes of despair, the co- 
horts of satan seem to have taken possession 
of the world and filled it with vice and 
wretchedness, until it resembles the '^abomi- 
nation of desolation" referred to in Holy 
Writ. 

To know what war is, it would be neces- 
sary to possess eyes to behold all the sin and 
vice; all the ruin and destruction; ears to 
hear every despairing cry and agonizing 
wail; a mind to comprehend all the misery 
and desolation, and a heart to feel the an- 
guish in the heart of each suffering fellow- 
creature, from the moment the first shot was 
fired down through ages yet to come, until 



From Convent to Conflict 115 

the twilight of times, brighter in prospect, 
than the daylight of the present generation 
shall obscure the last shadows of the unholy 
conflict. 

To realize what war really means, we 
should give consideration to the moral and 
physical degeneration of these sufferers and 
of their descendants ; to the hatred, lust, pas- 
sion, wilful murder and other high crimes 
against God and nature, engendered and 
committed, not in the moment of strong in- 
dividual anger and passion, but as the result 
of a well-calculated plan, with profound 
forethought, called by some "strategy." 

"War is justifiable only, if it is the neces- 
sary means for securing peace." (His Emi- 
nence, Cardinal Mercier.) May we hum- 
bly add, then only as the last resort. 



ii6 From Convent to Conflict 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Our Departure. 

Monday, September 28, witnessed the 
scenes of sorrow and desolation in and 
around Mechelen and vicinity described in 
the foregoing chapters. Many of the resi- 
dents of Willebroeck had already taken 
flight, and the others were preparing to 
leave. 

The Sisters, wholly absorbed in their work 
for the wounded, and relying on the word 
of the Belgian oSicers, that timely warning 
would be given as to the necessity of depar- 
ture, had as yet no idea of joining the 
throngs of refugees who continuously filed 
through the main street. 

The shocks of the cannonade from the for- 
tress caused the buildings to tremble on their 
foundations, while the ground under foot 
seemed agitated as by an earthquake. A 
large number of wounded soldiers had been 
brought in the night before, and three or 
four lay dead in the mortuary. 



From Convent to Conflict 117 

Our Sisters and servant maids, as also the 
generous women refugees of Willebroeck, 
continued their sickening task in the laun- 
dry. In wooden shoes they stood at those 
large cement tubs while suds and blood- 
dyed water streamed over the stone floor. 

Since the cutting of the electric wires the 
motor which kept the machines in action 
could no longer be used for the laundry or 
for the bakery. This greatly increased the 
work in both places. 

Large, vicious-looking black flies, before 
unseen in or about the place, probably at- 
tracted by the odor of blood, buzzed around 
in a most disagreeable manner. 

The whole scene left an ineffaceable im- 
pression of sadness and horror at the un- 
wonted ferocity of civilized man. 

Night closed in again, but brought neither 
rest nor consolation. Fearing to retire, some 
of the Sisters remained in the chapel, while 
others spent the tedious hours of that dreary 
night in the refectory or adjoinig rooms, and 
kept busy making surgical dressings for the 
wounded, of whom a larger number than 
usual had been brought into the hospital. 



ii8 From Convent to Conflict 

At intervals during the night the cannon- 
ade w^as heard, while the searchlights of the 
fortress penetrated the clouds on the look- 
out for the murderous Zeppelins. Morn- 
ing came at last, with an increase of work 
and anguish. The enemy, with their usual 
determination, were trying to force their 
way through to Antwerp, while the Bel- 
gians were equally determined to prevent 
them, or to at least check their progress. 

On Tuesday, September 29, the daily rou- 
tine of the Convent took place as usual 
until noon, when the cannonade became ter- 
rific. A balloon, the meaning of which we 
did not know, had been sent up by the ene- 
my. Some said it was to discover the posi- 
tion of the Belgians and, if possible, ascer- 
tain their strength. The Reverend Supe- 
rior called upon one of the officers and asked 
if there was danger. "No," said he, "We 
shall let you know in due time." 

Three Sisters, intending to go to Antwerp, 
sent a messenger to the station to ask when 
the train would leave. "No trains until 
evening," was the reply. They decided 
to wait until that time. Just then another 



From Convent to Conflict 119 

officer called for the Reverend Superior and 
said in an excited manner, 'Weg van hier, 
aanstonds! Geen tijd te verliezen." (Away 
from here at once. No time to be lost.) 
This message flew from one to another, even 
to the terror-stricken hearts of the numerous 
wounded. 

Impossible to describe the scenes which 
followed. In a few minutes a long line of 
motor cars came whirling up to the gate to 
take away the wounded who, some of them 
in an almsot dying condition, were being 
dragged out of their beds, dressed and hur- 
riedly carried away to Antwerp, or to an- 
other place of refuge. One can never for- 
get the look of anguish on some of their 
faces, while others seemed totally indifferent 
to all that was taking place around them. 

There was one who was not indifferent. 
It was the wounded German officer who, as 
he himself admitted, had accomplished so 
much in the destruction of Louvain, and 
whose serious condition did not permit his 
being transferred with the first division of 
the Red Cross which left a short time be- 
fore. He was sorely troubled when he 



I20 From Convent to Conflict 

heard he had to leave, and would much 
rather have remained. He promised, in 
case the opportunity offered, to speak a good 
word for the Convent. 

Did he survive or obtain his freedom, and 
thus have occasion to keep his word? We 
know not; but we do know that when the 
German soldiers were in possession of our 
Boarding-school, after the fall of Antwerp, 
our Superior and Sisters wrote that they 
had no complaint to make as to the conduct 
of those ^^Rynlanders." 

The Sisters could hardly realize that they 
were obliged to leave their Convent home, 
for which they had toiled and labored for 
years, and which was as dear to them as the 
arms of a mother to her children; those 
schools which had so often re-echoed to the 
gay sounds of children's voices, as hundreds 
of them marched and sang in chorus; the 
garden where the white ducks were yet swim- 
ming in the pond; the fruit trees and flow- 
ers ; in a word, all had to be left to the fire 
of the merciless bombs and shrapnels. 

Several times they went back and forth, 
while it seemed preferable to remain and 



From Convent to Conflict 121 

take the risk than to go and endure the vicis- 
situdes of pilgrimage and exile. But the 
command had to be obeyed, as the danger 
increased every moment. 

About two o'clock three of us joined the 
crowds of farmers, country people and cav- 
alrymen who were passing on their way to 
Boom. The other Sisters stood in the hall, 
ready to depart. We carried satchels and 
some small baggage, and walked to Boom, 
where we arrived safely at three o'clock. 
On the way we met a lady and gentleman 
who conversed fluently in English. 

When we arrived at the station we learned 
that the train for Antwerp had left a few 
minutes before, and there would be no fur- 
ther transportation before evening. We 
went to the home of one of our Sisters in 
Boom and rested until five o'clock. Here 
we were joined by our Rev. Mother Supe- 
rior and a large party of Sisters, who had 
left Willebroeck shortly after we did. Just 
as they had crossed the bridge of Boom, a 
bomb fell beside it and exploded, but did 
not injure the bridge. Our Sisters were on 
their way to Aertselaar, one of our missions 



122 From Convent to Conflict 

at some distance from the firing line. Rev. 
Father Somers, one of the assistant priests 
of Willebroeck, remained at his post in the 
village church during the bombardment of 
the town. Four Sisters had the courage to 
remain in the Convent when all the rest had 
left. They have written recently from Bris- 
tol, England, describing their experience 
amid the rain of bombs and shrapnel which 
fell that evening in the garden and around 
the buildings. 

Bidding adieu to the Sisters who had 
joined us in Boom, we went to the railroad 
station about five o'clock in the evening, ex- 
pecting to be in good time for the train to 
Antwerp. One of the Sisters sent a dispatch 
to her mother to send some one to meet us 
in the East Station when the train would ar- 
rive. As we approached the station in 
Boom, we met throngs of people coming 
back. 

A lady told us not to go to the station, as 
no train would leave for Antwerp that night. 
Undismayed by the sad news, we passed 
those crowds of people and went right on to 
the station. The station-master was not at 



From Convent to Conflict 123 



liberty, so we stood there a few moments 
with a party of others in the waiting-room. 
A young lady of Boom, one of our former 
pupils, and one of the Sisters set out in 
search of a motor car or carriage. None 
could be obtained at any cost, not even a 
farmer's cart or wagon. All that could be 
used were in the service of the army. 

From five o'clock until seven, the fruit- 
less search continued, while the other two 
Sisters remained at the station in charge of 
the baggage. At seven o'clock one Sister 
returned with the good news that she had 
met the ^'Chef" of the First Division of the 
Red Cross ambulance which had remained 
in our hospital, and, having exhausted all 
the fine expressions in her French vocabu- 
lary, at last succeeded in sending him to the 
General of the Belgian Army, then in a res- 
taurant in the city, to ask permission for the 
Sisters to enter the train of the Red Cross, 
which was at that time standing on the An- 
twerp Railroad, back of the depot. 

A lady and gentleman of Antwerp, on 
hearing of our success, pleaded with tears 
in their eyes to have us ask permission for 



124 From Convent to Conflict 

them also to enter the train. Our youngest 
Sister, moved with compassion at the sorry 
plight of two fellow-creatures, made use of 
a stratagem in their favor. ^Tapa, Mam- 
ma," said she, when the "Chef" approached 
with permission for the Sisters to enter the 
train, "Papa, Mamma, carry our baggage 
into the train." The lady and gentleman 
took up the baggage in a hurry and the Sis- 
ters followed them into the train. 

It was just seven o'clock when we entered 
the train of the Red Cross, which then stood 
waiting for the wounded soldiers. Unfortu- 
nately for us, the wounded had been taken 
to Antwerp in motor cars and our train re- 
mained standing at the depot. 

The heavy cannonade had somewhat 
abated, but the field cannon were yet heard 
in several directions, and we feared a return 
of the Zeppelins which had been flying over 
Antwerp the week before. We were 
doomed to disappointment as to our depar- 
ture from Boom. It was too late and de- 
cidedly dangerous to return to the home of 
our Sisters in the city, and a long night in 
this stationary train seemed unendurable. 



From Convent to Conflict 125 

At twenty minutes to twelve the "Chef" 
made his appearance once more and said 
that he had finally obtained permission to 
take the train to Antwerp ; but we would be 
obliged to ride in the dark, very slowly, and 
arrive in a station at some distance from the 
usual stopping place. This depot was, nev- 
ertheless, known to the Sisters, who, if only 
safely in the city, felt sure of finding their 
way home. So the lights were turned out 
and the train started ofif. It was so dark 
that we could hardly distinguish the trees 
or buildings along the route. 



126 From Convent to Conflict 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Arrival in Antwerp. 

Shortly after leaving Boom, the sounds of 
war died out entirely, and one felt that there 
was at least one haven of safety in Belgium. 
About half-past one in the night we entered 
the Bassins, a station near the docks of An- 
twerp. We thanked the good ''Chef" heart- 
ily and paid the station-master to accom- 
pany the party of five with a lantern to our 
destination. He did so, and on we walked 
the whole length of the Boulevard to the 
Palace of Justice. 

Antwerp, the chief port of Belgium, the 
center of the railroad and canal systems, lay 
enshrouded in a cloak of darkness. Not the 
faintest glimmer of light was to be seen in 
the sky or on the land. Aside from this, 
there was not the slightest appearance of 
war, or of any disturbance whatever in the 
city. 

At half-past two on Wednesday morning, 
September 30, hungry and utterly exhausted 
after the experience of the foregoing week, 



From Convent to Conflict 127 

we rang at the residence of Madame Broe- 
linckx, mother of one of the Sisters of our 
company. This lady and her daughters re- 
ceived us with the greatest hospitality. 
They provided food and sleeping apart- 
ments, and left nothing undone to make our 
visit as pleasant and agreeable as could be 
under the circumstances. About three 
o'clock we retired for a few hours' rest, re- 
gardless of the dangerous Zeppelins which 
could have been flying over our heads. Next 
day we visited some of the magnificent 
churches in th^ city. These were filled to 
overflowing with pious worshipers at every 
service. 

In the Church of the Jesuits, which we 
attended, it was difl^cult to find a seat, 
so great were the throngs who attend- 
ed the evening devotions. The front seats 
were reserved for the convalescent soldiers, 
who attended in large numbers. It was so 
sad to see them. Some limped along on 
crutches; some with their broken arms in 
slings; while others had their heads and 
hands bandaged. Every door that opened 
or closed caused a shock, as if the bombs 



128 From Convent to Conflict 

and cannon balls had followed us from 
Willebroeck. 

We had never heard more zeal in the ser- 
mons, more confidence in the prayers, or 
more fervor in the responses, in which the 
entire congregation joined. We shall never, 
never forget that week of prayer in An- 
twerp. 

In such circumstances, when the courage 
is about to fail at the approach of an inev- 
itable doom which no human power can re- 
sist, then will the most haughty and indif- 
ferent fall on their knees and pray. 

A day or two after our arrival in An- 
twerp, in company with the Misses Broe- 
linckx, we visited the scenes of the Zeppelin 
raid which had taken place a few weeks 
before. It was sad to witness the damage 
done to those massive stone buildings. In 
some of them there was not a particle of 
glass to be seen in any of the window frames, 
while immense blocks of stone had been 
blown out of the walls. Bolts, knobs and 
bells were torn out of their places and the 
door demolished. One building looked as 
if it had been picked all over with a crow- 



From Convent to Conflict 129 

bar, while in some places pieces of the bomb 
had forced their way through the walls. 

It was said in Antwerp that the bomb 
which fell back of the Bom street was aimed 
at the Palace of Justice, which is just at the 
corner of this street. It was also stated that 
the aim taken by the enemy in throwing this 
bomb was only one millimeter from being 
perfect. If so, it deflected the difference 
of a whole block before it reached the 
ground. 

Either nine or eleven bombs were said to 
have been thrown by Zeppelins in Antwerp 
long before the bombardment of that city. 
Not one, however, reached its destination, 
and only damaged the buildings and killed 
or wounded a few innocent residents. 

On returning we met two Sisters and a 
large number of orphan children, who left 
Willebroeck on the same day that we did. 
These Sisters, though similar to our own in 
some respects, had constant charge of the 
sick in the village hospital, which was 
founded and supported by the wealthy and 
charitable Lady of the Castle of Wille- 
broeck, Madame De Naeyer. Besides a 



I30 From Convent to Conflict 

number of invalids, there were about one 
hundred orphan children in this institution 
when the bombardment of the village be- 
gan. 

One of the Sisters said, that while carry- 
ing the invalids from their beds into the cel- 
lar, bombs were flying horizontally through 
the walls. One old woman was killed and 
another wounded. These two Sisters then 
departed with the orphans and knew not 
what had become of the others. 

At the urgent request of our kind hostess, 
and also in hope of receiving news from 
Willebroeck, or from the Sisters with whom 
we had parted in Boom, we decided to re- 
main over Sunday. The beginning of the 
following week passed uneventfully. One 
of our younger Sisters joined us during the 
week, but had little to relate, not having 
heard from Willebroeck since our depar- 
ture. 

Greatly desiring to hear something from 
the Convent, I resolved to ride over to Aert- 
selaar with the milkmaid, as all the trains in 
this direction had ceased to run, and no 
other conveyance could be found. I went 



From Convent to Conflict 131 

down to the park with Miss Broelinckx and 
waited until the good woman had sold all 
her milk, after which I climbed into the 
little wagon and we rode hastily in the di- 
rection of the city gates. When but a few 
yards from the large green "port" or gate, 
while waiting a few moments at a store, we 
were overtaken by Miss Broelinckx, who 
had hurried after us to announce that she 
had met the Reverend Superior and a large 
number of Sisters, who had entered the city 
en route for Holland or England. 

With unconcealed joy at the thought of 
meeting our Sisters again, I bade adieu to 
the milkmaid and retraced my steps back to 
the house where our friends were assem- 
bled. After lunch, complications having 
arisen as to their departure for England, 
the Sisters, about fifteen in number, decided 
to remain in the city for at least a few days. 
Some of them took up their residence with 
relatives, while the others found refuge in 
some of the convents in the city. It was ar- 
ranged to hold a union meeting in a room 
adjoining the Jesuit Church, at which all 
were requested to be present, every day. 



132 From Convent to Conflict 

One of our party was quite despondent, 
owing to the fact that she had entirely lost 
track of her aged parents, who had left 
Mechelen during the bombardment of that 
city. A day or two later, while going to 
church, she had the pleasure of meeting her 
father on the street. He and his wife had 
come to Antwerp a few days before. They 
had found it necessary to change their place 
of residence nine times within one month. 
Mingled joy and sadness was felt a day or 
two later, when the Rev. Mother Superior 
visited the Sisters at the home of Madame 
Broelinckx and described the condition of 
affairs at Willebroeck. 

With the Sisters whom we had left in 
Boom, she had gone to Aertselaar, where 
eight or ten of the older Sisters were stay- 
ing. This town, quite a distance from the 
city, was considered perfectly safe. How- 
ever, owing to the rapid approach of the 
enemy and the destruction of some of the 
fortresses, this place also became untenable. 
The City of Boom was evacuated and the 
bridge blown up a day or two after we left 
Willebroeck. Three days later all the ref- 



From Convent to Conflict 133 

ugees in Aertselaar were commanded to 
leave. This compelled the Reverend Supe- 
rior to take the elder Sisters, some of them 
hardly able to walk on account of age and 
debility, to the City of Antwerp. With 
great difficulty she had found a rude con- 
veyance of some kind and rode on to the 
^'port" of the city. When they reached the 
large gate it was discovered that the pass- 
ports were not in perfect order, consequent- 
ly the Sisters were not allowed to enter. 

Having found a resting-place for the oth- 
ers. Reverend Mother entered the city. 
After a short conference, she rode back to 
the Sisters and we saw her no more. While 
with us she told of her narrow escape at the 
Convent in Willebroeck the day after the 
Sisters left. 

On September 30, having left her charges 
in safety in Aertselaar, she rode back again 
to Willebroeck, where three Sisters yet re- 
mained. The next day the cannonade was 
terrific. 



134 From Convent to Conflict 



CHAPTER XV. 

Extracts from Letters of Our Refugee 

Sisters. 

Following is an extract from a letter 
which came to hand on March 15, 191 5, 
from the four Sisters who remained in the 
Convent throughout the bombardment, two 
of whom are now in charge of the Belgian 
refugees in Bristol, England : 

^^As you already know, perhaps, three of 
us remained in our Convent when all the 
rest had fled. Later in the afternoon we 
saw the Reverend Director and his sis- 
ter step into the doctor's automobile and 
whirl off to a place of safety. Soon they 
were out of danger for the time being at 
least. That evening, following the advice 
of the Reverend Chaplain, we went to the 
Convent of the Presentation in Boom to pass 
the night. On the way we met Sister Mich- 
elle. When she heard that we had remained 
in Willebroeck, she came back with us. We 
were greatly pleased and took her along to 
Boom for the night. In the morning we 



From Convent to Conflict 135 

returned to our Convent in Wiliebroeck in 
an automobile of the ambulance. There 
was work in abundance. We had to cook 
and bake for one hundred and twenty per- 
sons. There were twenty priests with them. 
Besides these, there was scarcely any one 
left in Wiliebroeck. We rode to Antwerp 
for meat. Reverend Mother sent us word 
to come to Aertselaar to go with the other 
Sisters to England. We went to Aertselaar 
and asked permission to remain in Wilie- 
broeck. Reverend Mother rode back with 
us. Again, in the afternoon, there was noth- 
ing to be heard but cannonade on all sides. 
Just as the Reverend Superior was about to 
go to the chapel, she was called into the 
cellar, where the Sisters and some of the 
wounded had taken refuge. At once a heavy 
shock was heard. Every moment there 
were heavy shocks. Our chapel had been 
struck by a bomb, which destroyed the iron 
frame of the window, seriously damaged 
the wall and mouldings, shattered the pews 
and chairs, and filled all the adjoining 
rooms with lime and dust. We thought 
that our whole Convent stood in fire and 



136 From Convent to Conflict 

flame. All the window panes in the chapel 
were out. All the window panes in the front 
gable of the Convent were out. Reverend 
Mother, who had just escaped death by 
joining the others in the callar, returned to 
her charge in Aertselaar. We four re- 
mained in the Convent. The doctors as- 
sured us that if need be an automobile 
would be at our disposal in the evening. 

Monday, October 5, the Chaplain, sent by 
the Major, came to tell us that we must 
leave. ''Go," said he, "not to Antwerp, but 
through Flanders to England." We thought 
that our other Sisters had already gone to 
England. We remained Tuesday also, amid 
the thundering roar of the cannon. At six 
o'clock in the evening it was announced that 
the motor car was ready. "Rapidly," said 
they. "Everyone away." There we were! 
One in the kitchen and the others here and 
there at work. In haste we collected a few 
of our things, and, without food or other 
supplies, started on the way to Boom. The 
Belgian soldiers caused the bridge to spring 
just when we had crossed it. The two la- 
dies of the Red Cross who had so faithfully 



From Convent to Conflict 13 



^ 



assisted in the care of the wounded, were 
with us. We went from Boom to Hemi- 
schen, over a rudely constructed bridge. 
From this place we jolted and pitched all 
night long. One of our number, utterly ex- 
hausted, slept soundly, and for the time be- 
ing at least was unconscious of danger or 
difficulty. At ten o'clock on Wednesday 
morning we arrived at St. Niklaas. 

We were well received by the Sisters at 
the Convent of the Presentation, and re- 
mained until next day. Then we went to 
Ostend. From ten in the morning until 
five in the evening we remained on the train 
and spent the night in a convent. We looked 
for the ambulance, and found it in the ^'Ho- 
tel Splendite," wherein we were given 
rooms overlooking the sea. There were 
about three hundred wounded soldiers 
brought from Antwerp, for that city was 
just bombarded. We remained there until 
the 13th of October. We had just retired on 
the evening of the I3th,when we were hastily 
called up. "Toe Zusters' gauw op ! Ze zijn 
hier,alle maal bijna weg." (Sisters, do hurry 
upl Nearly all are away from here.) We 



138 From Convent to Conflict 

sprang up, dressed hastily, took our satchels 
and went directly to the depot. We stood In 
the waiting-room from eleven o'clock that 
night until five next morning. Two trains 
of wounded soldiers were passing. We suc- 
ceeded in getting into one of them, and now 
"Ahead," wherever Divine Providence may 
lead us. That was a tiresome ride. Every 
few minutes the train would stop. Where 
were we going? Probably to France. In a 
town called Zarren we remained standing a 
long time. The residents brought food and 
drink for the soldiers and conducted the 
Sisters to a convent. We could not find suf- 
ficient words to praise and thank these good 
people; and now again, "Ahead to France." 
We arrived in France at eleven o'clock in 
the night. The people were leaning out of 
their windows in their night-clothes and 
calling aloud "Vive la Belgique! Vive les 
Heros!" Again, "Ahead to Dixmunde." 
Here we were placed on a merchant ship, 
with one thousand wounded soldiers and 
ambulanciers from Antwerp. We knew 
not where we were going. There was no 
food. We slept in a small cabin containing 



From Convent to Conflict 139 



four berths, two above and two below. 
Those best exercised in gymnastics could 
climb into the upper beds. A few mo- 
ments later the two younger Sisters had 
flown into their "Doves' Nest." The ship 
departed, and finally we arrived in Dover, 
England. We left Dover and went to 
Southampton, where we arrived safely on 
Friday morning. Here the wounded sol- 
diers were taken to hospitals in the city^ and 
we were conveyed to a convent. After a 
few days we were requested to go to Bristol 
to teach the Belgian children, and here we 
are at present among these good English 
people, where we may possibly remain un- 
til the refugees return to Belgium." 

A letter from our Sisters in Holland last 
winter states that those members of the 
Community who had taken up their abode 
in the mission-house of Aertselaar were 
obliged to leave and take flight a few days 
later than we. Some of them endured great 
hardships along the route. 

The Sisters whom we left in the city wrote 
about the same time the following: 



140 From Convent to Conflict 

''Our stay in Antwerp was short. We were 
told that it was dangerous to remain near 
the Palace of Justice. At six o'clock two 
of us started to the Touwstraat (Rope 
street), so as to be near our other Sisters. 
As the street cars had ceased to run, we had 
to walk about three miles. The Sisters who 
were in the Convent of the Sacred Heart, in 
Antwerp, could no longer remain, as those 
nuns also were preparing to leave. It was 
impossible to close our eyes during that ter- 
rible night on account of the thundering, 
deafening explosions of cannon, while bul- 
lets, shells and shrapnel were flying over the 
city. 

"Early in the morning we were ready to 
leave Antwerp, but our older Sisters could 
not walk, and we had also in our company 
a sick Sister from Londerziel. Finally, 
about eleven o'clock, we left for the station. 
We could hardly get through because of the 
crowd and the great number of wagons. 
Two of us walked on and arrived in Capel- 
len at three o'clock. At the station we had 
to get into a wagon which had been used for 
the transportation of cattle, and then away 



From Convent to Conflict 141 

again. At half-past four we were in Calmp- 
thout. We waited in the station from half- 
past nine until four o'clock. Finally we 
obtained a place in a coal car and set out for 
Holland. 

"In Esschen, near the boundary line, we 
stepped ofif and walked forth to Hooger- 
heide, in Holland, where thirty of us will 
remain in a convent. I had forgotten to say 
that four of our Sisters took flight from An- 
twerp at one o'clock in the night. 

"Here in Holland we are eating rye bread 
and mashed potatoes, passing the night on 
straw beds stretched upon the floors, and are 
quite at our ease, for the present at least." 



142 From Convent to Conflict 

CHAPTER XVI. 

The Exodus to England. 

All the Sisters who had arrived at An- 
twerp met in conference several times dur- 
ing the week; but no final course of action 
could be decided upon, owing to the danger 
and uncertainty which, like dark, ominous 
clouds, cast a pall over the city and presaged 
disaster. 

One afternoon two of us called on His 
Eminence, Cardinal Mercier, Archbishop 
of Mechelen, who, since the bombardment 
of his city and the destruction of his resi- 
dence, had remained at times in rooms near 
the Cathedral of Antwerp. His stately 
countenance was calm and peaceful, not- 
withstanding the trials and overwhelming 
sorrows he had endured. We could hardly 
control our feelings when the fatherly hand 
of this good and faithful shepherd was 
raised to bless us for the journey and under- 
takings we had in view. 

On Saturday, October lo, we met in con- 
ference for the last time in the Jesuit rooms 



From Convent to Conflict 143 



in Antwerp. Our Sisters had no idea of 
leaving the city at that time. The last ad- 
vice of our Reverend Director before leav- 
ing was "Observe well the regulations, be 
ever true to God and duty, and let no day 
pass without doing some good work." He 
is dead now, having peacefully passed away 
on the night of December 24, 1914, shortly 
after returning to his former residence in 
Willebroeck. Although an invalid for 
years, he was an example of perfect zeal and 
accuracy in the performance of every duty. 
He was noted as an author of hymns and 
poems, and left many important works on 
Church and Bible history. 

Requiescat in pace (rest in peace) . 

Having parted with our Sisters on the 
street in front of the church, in company 
with Miss Broelinckx, I went at once to the 
docks of Antwerp to make arrangements for 
crossing over to England. About noon on 
that day a flag was hoisted on the lofty spire 
of one of the great churches, denoting "An- 
twerp in danger." In a short time the whole 
city was panic-stricken. People carrying 
large and small bundles were seen hurrying 



144 From Convent to Conflict 

through the streets. At noon the signal was 
removed and confidence restored. At the 
docks we found that the last passenger boat 
was just ready to leave on her final trip and 
could accommodate no more, being then 
full to overflowing. 

Three different times we returned to the 
docks, but found no means of departure. 
Even the small merchant boats were over- 
loaded. Finally, on Monday, October 12, 
1 found a place on a small boat, which 
seemed fit for sailing on an ordinary 
creek. There were about sixty or seventy 
refugees on board. I then bade farewell to 
the beautiful plains of Belgium, to the Sis- 
ters and acquaintances in whose company 
we had passed so many happy and peaceful 
years ; farewell to the Convent home, where 
we had learned the one true way to that 
perfect peace, which neither the storms of 
time nor the adverse fortunes of war can de- 
stroy; farewell to those dear little pupils 
who daily attended school, the remembrance 
of whose cheerful, innocent faces inspirit 
the days of exile, as does the cool, fresh foun- 
tain, the weary, way-worn traveler. 



From Convent to Conflict 145 

Could this parting be jfinal ? No ! a thou- 
sand times no ! We shall meet again when 
these trials are over. The Belgians are a 
courageous people. Their country will rise 
from its grave of ashes ; her exiled children 
will return; her cities will stand up from 
their ruins and flourish as they have never 
done before, and when Kings and Kaisers 
have become a memory, Sisters will be 
found at the bedside of the dying, and in the 
schools to teach the little children, and offer 
refuge to virtue and innocence within the 
Convent walls. 

We took our places on the deck of this lit- 
tle boat at one o'clock. The deck was not 
covered in any manner, and there were seats 
for about half of the number of passengers ; 
but we crowded together as best we could, 
with a certain feeling of security, for we all 
knew that within a few hours we would be 
safely out of reach of those terrible bombs 
and shrapnel, and we had a firm belief that 
our friends in Antwerp would also succeed 
in finding a place of safety. 

We had just left the docks bound for 
Flushing, Holland, when the rain began to 
10 



146 From Convent to Conflict 



fall in torrents and a heavy wind came up. 
We huddled together under the few umbrel- 
las and tried to have patience with our steam- 
boat and the weather. Oneyoung lady, in the 
act of looking around, had the unspeakable 
chagrin of seeing her umbrella snatched out 
of her hand by the wind and carried away 
down the tide. A large ship at some dis- 
tance, seeing the strange-looking object on 
the wave, rapidly approached, lowered a 
boat, and immediately the umbrella was 
taken on board. 

About three o'clock we were out at sea. 
There was no land to be seen. The wind 
grew stronger every moment, and our little 
boat rose and fell, pitched and rolled, in a 
most alarming manner. Being on the open 
deck, in the piercing cold wind, kept 
most of us from an attack of seasickness. 
Some of the Belgian women, who had never 
been at sea before, were nearly frantic with 
terror, and no wonder, for it was certainly 
a heavy sea for such a small boat. How 
delighted we were when the lights of Flush- 
ing, like so many stars reflected in the sea, 
began to gleam in the distance. When we 



From Convent to Conflict 147 

entered the harbor the wind ceased and the 
waves settled down into a calm, dark, lakey 
surface. 

Unfortunately, we had no opportunity of 
seeing much of this noted summer resort, as 
it was quite dark when we left our little 
boat and stepped into a large, pretty looking 
Mall boat, which carried passengers to and 
from England. 

After supper in the neatly furnished 
dining-room, we retired to our cabin. 
We considered ourselves at a safe dis- 
tance from the firing line, and anticipated 
a good night's rest. In this we were sadly 
disappointed. Scarcely had we closed our 
cabin door, when the ship's crew began to 
load the boat with her cargo, and the unen- 
durable noise continued all night long. One 
old lady, who had suffered greatly in com- 
ing over from Antwerp, began to scold at 
everybody and everything, then laughed 
heartily^ turned over in her berth and tried 
to rest. 

Morning dawned, at last. The rain had 
ceased and the sun was shining brightly. 
We expected a pleasant voyage over to Folk- 



148 From Convent to Conflict 

stone, England. Again we were disappoint- 
ed. Fearing the mines which might have 
been encountered on the usual course, our 
boat had to take another route. Instead of 
a pleasant trip of three or four hours, we 
had a voyage of nine hours. On this occa- 
sion there was no chance to escape the 
seasickness. The sea was rougher here than 
in some places on the Atlantic ocean. Heavy 
waves dashed against our little boat and 
caused her to roll and pitch terribly, while 
a cold, penetrating w^ind swept the deck like 
a hurricane. 

Some of us became so greatly indisposed 
that we were advised to go on deck. We 
did so and stood grasping the railing for an 
hour or two. Everyone was ill. While on 
deck we sighted something projecting from 
the sea, but could not clearly distinguish the 
outline. It proved to be a submarine; at 
any rate, we were told that it was ; but our 
boat managed to keep at a safe distance and- 
hastened forth unmolested. 

A short time afterward we were signalled 
by a warship. All action in our boat ceased. 
The warship drew near and was soon along- 



From Convent to Conflict 149 

side of the Mallboat. An officer came on 
board to ask if there were soldiers among 
the passengers. Having received a nega- 
tive answer, greetings were exchanged and 
the warship departed, greatly to the satis- 
faction of all on board. Having lost about 
half an hour, our steamer forged ahead 
again at full speed. 

About three o'clock, benumbed with cold 
and indisposed,, we staggered to the gang- 
way and were assisted downstairs, where we 
tried to rest for a time. About five o'clock 
in the evening the hills and rugged banks 
of England made their appearance. At six 
o'clock we entered the harbor of Folkstone. 
Everyone was obliged to show his or her 
passport and undergo the doctor's examina- 
tion. This occupied just an hour. Happy 
to again set foot on ''terra firma," we has- 
tened to the train, which stood waiting to 
take us to London, a ride of two or three 
hours. In the meantime darkness had closed 
in and we saw nothing outside of our com- 
partment until after nine o'clock, as we ap- 
proached the suburbs of London. 



150 From Convent to Conflict 



CHAPTER XVII. 

London and Leeds. 

One of the first things to attract attention, 
as we approached the city, was the double- 
decked street car. It was so strange to see 
the people sitting in those box-like cases, up 
on top of the car. From appearances, one 
would think this kind of conveyance in dan- 
ger of tipping over at every turn of the 
street. 

A little before ten o'clock we steamed into 
Victoria Station, London, and immediately 
made our way to the office of the Relief 
Committee, who kindly exchanged our Bel- 
gian money for English currency and gave 
us cards to the Premier Hotel, Southampton 
Row, Russel Square, London. 

The Belgians who came to England on 
this occasion were people of the wealthier 
class, who paid their own expenses and were 
free to take rooms or lodgings where they 
desired; while a great many others who 
came over at the expense of the Relief Com- 
mittee were obliged to accept what was as- 



From Convent to Conflict 151 

signed them and remain where they were 
sent until transferred by the Relief Com- 
mittee. 

When all of us met at table in the Premier 
Hotel, it was quite difficult for the Belgians 
to make themselves understood. Fortunate- 
ly, one of the party, being familiar with the 
two languages, acted as interpreter until 
each obtained what he or she desired, and 
the regulations and requirements had been 
explained. 

At half-past eleven all retired to their 
rooms for the night with feelings of heart- 
felt gratitude to the good God, who led our 
steps through so many trials and dangers to 
a place of peace and safety. 

In the morning the whole party attended 
Mass at eight o'clock in a large church un 
Southampton Row, and returned to the ho- 
tel for breakfast at half-past nine. In the 
dining hall we met another party of Bel- 
gians, among whom were Sister M. Aloise 
and her family, Mr. and Miss Erix, of Wii- 
lebroeck, and the Burgomaster of Meche- 
len (Malines) and his wife. The Sisters, 
not having seen each other in several weeks, 



152 From Convent to Conflict 

had a long and pleasant visit. After dinner 
we called on the American Relief Commit- 
tee and obtained the loan of money neces- 
sary for the trip to America. The Ameri- 
can Government had made arrangements 
with its committee to assist in this way 
American citizens stranded in the belliger- 
ent countries. It was given in exchange 
for a note for the required sum, payable on 
demand to the United States Treasury after 
the first of January, 191 5. Interest on this 
note was not exacted. 

This action on the part of the American 
Government, in assisting her stranded citi- 
zens who found themselves unable to secure 
funds at a time when it was impossible to 
communicate with or receive assistance from 
friends, was highly praised by prominent 
Europeans, and deeply appreciated by the 
Americans themselves. 

The important places which we had an 
opportunity of seeing during this short stay 
in London were the Tower of London, so 
noted in English history, the Houses of Par- 
liament, Westminster Abbey, and also the 
beautiful new Westminster Cathedral, 



From Convent to Conflict 153 

Which seems to resemble Westminster Ab- 
bey in its mode of construction. 

While at the station I sent a dispatch to 
relatives in Leeds to meet me there at the 
depot next day, after which we returned to 
the Premier Hotel for another night. This 
night, October 15, seemed very long, as I 
was anxious to proceed on my journey as 
rapidly as possible. Next morning found 
the city enwrapped in a heavy "London 
fog." The streets were very dusty, the air 
chilly, and the mist so dense that it was im- 
possible to read the names on the buildings 
across the way. 

The streets and thoroughfares of London 
were so crowded at times that it seemed im- 
possible to pass through. Teams, carriages, 
street cars, motor cars and pedestrians 
thronged hither and thither, each with some 
particular aim or object in view. 

Not a single thought of death seemed to 
occupy their minds, although death could 
have befallen hundreds of them at every 
turn of the street. All were in a hurry, for, 
as a rule, people do not walk in England, 
they run, which, by the way, impressed me 



154 From Convent to Conflict 

as unusual, considering the fact that the 
country appears to be very hilly and many 
of the streets run up or down high hills. 

Policemen stand in the middle of the 
streets at the crossings and keep back the 
crowds on one side until they have passed 
on the other. 

On all sides placards were posted on the 
gates and walls calling for recruits to the 
army. Whole companies of these were seen 
in citizens' dress marching away to the bar- 
racks. 

During a very short but pleasant stay in 
England our attention was often attracted 
by the zeal of the English woman, working 
for their absent countrymen. Every spare 
moment was employed for this purpose. On 
the train, in the street car, or walking along 
the streets, her deft fingers were ever busy 
knitting for some poor soldier at the front. 

The prayers of thousands of thosepoorvic- 
tims freezing in the trenches during the past 
two winters will call down blessings upon 
these busy workers, not only in England, but 
in our own dear country also; and all over 



From Convent to Conflict 155 



the world where this charitable work is un- 
dertaken. 

On Thursday evening, October 15, I took 
leave of our numerous Belgian companions 
and departed alone on the long and tedious 
journey to Leeds, where I arrived at the ap- 
pointed hour and was met at the station by 
relatives, with whom I started at once for 
their residence. 

We enjoyed two or three days of pleasant 
weather in this busy manufacturing city, 
and visited some of the churches and places 
of special interest. The busiest place in the 
city was, probably, the American penny 
store. Here it was that the Star-sp,angled 
Banner gladdened the heart of any Ameri- 
can who happened to pass that way and stop 
for a penny's purchase. Except on Sunday, 
this immense building was said to be crowd- 
ed every day in the week, and on Saturdays 
it was hardly possible to pass through be- 
cause of the throngs of people who filled it 
from morning till evening. 

One remarkable feature about the city of 
Leeds is the deep dark color of the exterior 
of nearly all the buildings. The Cathedral, 



156 From Convent to Conflict 



the City Hall, the Museum, and even the 
statue of Queen Victoria, on the square in 
front of the City Hall, are of such a dark 
color that one would suppose them to be 
built of black stone. This is probably caused 
by the fogs, and smoke from the numerous 
factories. The fog becomes so dense in the 
fall and winter that the street cars are said to 
collide, and other accidents occur at times 
owing to the impossibility of distinguishing 
objects even at a short distance. When but 
a few days in Leeds, my attention was at- 
tracted by an article in the morning paper 
announcing the expected arrival of five hun- 
dred Belgian refugees in the city. 



From Convent to Conflict i c? 



:>/ 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

The Refugees in England. 

As a good and loving mother would re- 
ceive her own weary, way-worn children, so 
did England and Holland open their arms 
to receive, console, assist and provide for the 
destitute, war-chased people of Belgium. 
These unfortunate refugees, the homeless 
and penniless exiles from a once free and 
happy country, have been welcomed to the 
shores of England with a true Christian 
charity and hospitality, which excites our 
admiration. 

The gates of her manors, the doors of her 
castles, the dwellings of her citizens, have 
opened wide to harbor the throngs of refu- 
gees who entered her seaports in search of 
food and shelter. Great numbers went to 
London and were received in the Alexan- 
dria Palace, where on one occasion about 
three thousand were said to have attended 
the Divine sacrifice of the Mass and were 
addressed in their own language by the Rt. 
Rev. Bishop Dewachter, Vic. Gen. to His 



158 From Convent to Conflict 

Eminence Card. Mercier. of the Archdio- 
cese of Mechelen. In this palace they were 
received and cared for temporarily. Later 
they were distributed in groups to the differ- 
ent towns and cities of the country in accord- 
ance with the means of accommodation af- 
forded by the respective places. 

Belgian Relief Committees were estab- 
lished in all the localities about to receive 
refugees. These were made up of a num- 
ber of ladies and gentlemen, both Catholic 
and Protestant, of the wealthier class of 
English society. The Lord Mayor of the 
city, and mayors of the towns and villages, 
took the work of these committees under 
their special supervision. They were pres- 
ent at the arrival of the refugees and deliv- 
ered addresses of welcome. The Lady 
Mayoress, by her presence and example, 
often assisted and encouraged the ladies in 
the clothing department, and when time 
permitted drove around to visit the Bel- 
gians in their new homes. All the ladies 
and gentlemen of the relief committees were 
regarded as honorary members and received 
no compensation for their services. 



From Convent to Conflict 159 



It is impossible to describe the amount of 
care, labor and anxiety, not to speak of the 
time and expense, which these good people 
encountered in this new field of labor. "I 
have not had two hours' rest any night since 
the work began," said Alderman C — ,amem- 
ber of the Bradford Committee, a few days 
before our departure. The same remark 
could well have been made by all the mem- 
bers, who devoted their whole time and en- 
ergies to the work in hand. 

The relief committees were obliged to 
make arrangements for the reception and 
temporary lodgings of the refugees; also for 
their wearing apparel and food supplies, be- 
cause many of them had left their homes 
with the same clothing which they wore at 
their ordinary work, and had no other gar- 
ments with them. Arrangements had to be 
made with the vicars, or ministers of the 
Protestant parishes, and with the lords of 
the manors and castles, as to the permanent 
dwellings and food supplies of these people 
during their stay in England; and, to avoid 
confusion, all had to be in readiness upon 
the arrival of the refugees, who were sent in 



i6o From Convent to Conflict 

large numbers from Alexandria Palace, 
London. In less than three weeks over fif- 
teen hundred had been received in Leeds, 
Bradford and Keighley. 

When a party of refugees was expected, 
the whole city^ it may be said, turned out to 
welcome them. The streets from the sta- 
tion to the City Hall, where they usually 
lodged for a few days, were thronged with 
curious spectators, long before the appoint- 
ed hour. They not only filled the streets, 
but climbed upon every available vantage 
point in order to see the Belgians. Some 
little boys had found a place on the pedestal 
of the statue of Queen Victoria and sat there 
quite contentedly. Lines of motor cars 
stood waiting at the station, while the police 
had great difficulty in keeping back the 
crowds, who threatened to crush each other 
in their eager desire to get near the plat- 
form. 

The first party, over five hundred in num- 
ber, which was received in Leeds, was ex- 
pected one evening at five o'clock. Being 
detained in London, they did not arrive un- 
til about twelve o'clock, and yet that im- 



From Convent to Conflict i6i 

mense multitude remained waiting on the 
street. The danger and inconveniencewhich 
await strangers, unaccustomed to the habits 
and language of a foreign country was an- 
ticipated, precautions being taken by the 
Lord Mayor and Relief Committee for the 
purpose of protecting these people, who 
were regarded as the guests of the nation. 
Two armed policemen kept unbroken watch 
at the entrance to the reception hall, and no 
one was permitted to enter who was not in 
some manner connected with the work of 
the Relief Committee. They were required 
•to have cards of admission themselves. 
Though not obliged to do so, all those con- 
nected with this work wore the Belgian 
colors. 

Two Little Sisters of the Poor of Eng- 
land and a Sister from Belgium, who acted 
as interpreter, were requested to remain on 
guard in the woman's department during 
the night, while a policeman performed the 
same duty in the men's part of the building. 

When the refugees reached the station, 
they were received by members of the Re- 
lief Committee, and while the cheers and 

u 



1 62 From Convent to Conflict 



greetings of the assembled multitudes re- 
sounded on all sides, they were taken in mo- 
tor cars to the City Hall or other public 
building, where a bounteous supper awaited 
them. Food was abundant. There was 
soup and meat; bread, butter, fruit and pre- 
serves, with plenty of coffee, and boiled 
milk for the little children. How the refu- 
gees did enjoy this good meal, the first which 
many of them had tasted since they left their 
own homes in Belgium. 

An address of welcome was then deliv- 
ered by the Lord Mayor of the city, which 
was translated into the Flemish language, 
and responded to by one of the several Bel- 
gian priests who were resident pastors in 
England, and who met the refugees at the 
station, or came to the City Hall for this 
purpose. 

After supper, all retired as quickly and 
quietly as possible. A sufficient number of 
mattresses, sheets, blankets, pillows and 
shawls had been provided by the wealthy 
residents. The mattresses were stretched 
out upon the floors of several large rooms, 
about a foot apart, and there the beds made 



From Convent to Conflict 163 

up. A separate room was arranged for 
mothers with small children. Some of these 
little ones were so ill and tired that they 
cried all night long. 

One child was only seventeen days old. 
He was born in Alexandria Palace, and, be- 
ing the first Belgian born on English soil, 
received the name of Albert George Alex- 
ander, and the gift of a beautiful silver 
watch from an English princess, with his 
royal name engraved upon it. One poor 
woman told of having kept her child, three 
months old, from starving by giving it sugar 
with water from the ditches along the route. 
Truly no distinction was here to be observed 
between rich or poor, high or low class of 
people. All were grateful to receive the 
lowly place of rest offered on the floors of 
the museum, with the costly paintings on 
the walls around them. A poor old woman 
was suffering from asthma and was taken to 
the Home of the Little Sisters of the Poor, 
where in a few days she was found to be in 
a dying condition. 

Next morning we took some food to a gen- 
tleman about eighty-five years old, who, 



164 From Convent to Conflict 

with his wife and adopted daughter, had 
fled from St. Rombout's Cathedral during 
the bombardment of the City of Mechelen. 
He had been the proprietor of a large iron 
foundry in that city, and in his business had 
amassed a considerable fortune. As his 
health began to decline, he sold the foundry 
and bought fifteen houses to rent. Because 
of the unexpected attack on the city he was 
obliged, with many others, to take flight, not 
having had time to return home for money, 
clothing or even a handkerchief. He was 
very ill with bronchitis, and was also taken 
to the Little Sisters of the Poor. 

Next morning many of the refugees at- 
tended Mass in the nearest Catholic Church, 
after which they returned for breakfast at 
eight o'clock. The tables were well sup- 
plied with bread, butter, coffee, fruit, pre- 
serves and crackers, or small cookies. After 
breakfast discourses were delivered to the as- 
sembled Belgians, explaining the customs 
and habits of the country in which they were 
about to reside, and instructions and infor- 
mation given. At the close of this address 
the work of registration, which, in some 



From Convent to Conflict i6k 



cases was begun the evening before, was 
continued. The names and residences, the 
number of members in each family, the 
daily occupation of each and other particu- 
lars were carefully recorded, special care 
being taken to keep all the members of fam- 
ilies and relatives in groups together. 

One thing which occasioned great anxiety 
to nearly all the refugees was the fact that 
some member, and in a number of cases sev- 
eral members, of their families was missing. 
In these cases the relief committees adver- 
tised in the newspapers, making public the 
names and former residences of the missing 
parties, and thus sought in every manner to 
obtain information regarding them. In 
many cases they were successful, greatly to 
the joy of the refugees. 

A woman from the vicinity of Antwerp 
aroused the special sympathy of all who met 
her. She, with her husband and several 
children, in company with other refugees, 
left Antwerp on a train bound for Holland. 
Several Belgian soldiers were also on the 
train. During the journey they were fired 
upon by the enemy. The engineer sprang 



1 66 From Convent to Conflict 

from the locomotive and ran away. Many 
of the refugees rushed out of the compart- 
ments and, panic-stricken, sought refuge 
wherever a place of safety could be found. 
Almost at the same moment one of the sol- 
diers then on the train, who was himself an 
engineer, sprang into the locomotive, and 
the train started again on its way to Hol- 
land. This all occurred in a few moments. 
In the confusion which took place when the 
train was fired upon, this woman's daughter, 
aged thirteen, unobserved by her parents, 
had jumped off the train with the others and 
was left in Antwerp, while the parents and 
other children were hurried off to Holland, 
and from Holland to England, having no 
opportunity to obtain information regard- 
ing their lost child. 

While the refugees remain at those an- 
cient homesteads, the proprietors have taken 
upon themselves the responsibility of pro- 
viding everything needed in the line of food 
and clothing, the Belgians being required 
only to prepare their own food and to do 
their own work. This situation was some- 
what trying for the wealthier class, who 



From Convent to Conflict 167 

were in no way accustomed to ordinary la- 
bor. In each locality some one was ap- 
pointed to take the refugees to the nearest 
Catholic church until they became familiar 
with the streets and knew the way them- 
selves. 

Through the zeal and generosity of the 
Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Brad- 
ford, and prominent members of the Relief 
Committee in Leeds and Keighley^ who not 
only gave us the use of their motor cars sev- 
eral times, but also, when not engaged, ac- 
companied those who visited the refugees, 
we had the satisfaction of calling upon many 
of the Belgians in their new homes. This 
courtesy afforded us also a good opportunity 
of seeing and admiring those stately old cas- 
tles and the lovely groves and grounds which 
surround them. 

We saw the remians of the old Kirkstall 
Abbey, there in the valley among the hills 
of Yorkshire. 

On a brass tablet in the chapter house is 
found the following inscription: 



1 68 From Convent to Conflict 

THE city of LEEDS. 

"Pro Rege et Lege." 

KIRKSTALL ABBEY. 

This Abbey was founded by Henri de Laci, Baron of Ponte- 
fract, in the year 1147. It was first estab- 
lished at Barnoldswick, 

in Craven, by the Cistercian Order of Monks. In the year 
1153 the monks removed from Barnoldswick to Kirkstall, 
and on the present site erected a temporary church. The 
present church and claustral buildings were completed dur- 
ing the life of the first abbot, who died in the year 1182. 



This Abbey was surrendered to the Crown at the Dissolu- 
tion of Monasteries, on November 22nd, 1539. The Abbey 
and part of the adjoining lands were acquired from the 
representatives of the late 

Earl of Cardigan, 
Colonel J. T. North, 

a native of Leeds, and presented by him to the Corporation 
of Leeds in the year 1889, during the mayoralty of Alderman 
John Ward, J. P., to be held in trust for his fellow-citizens 
as a place of public resort and recreation forever. 

The Works of Preservation were completed by the Cor- 
poration in the year 1895, during the mayoralty of Alderman 
Peter Gilston, J. P. 

As a skeleton protruding from a grave of 
the past, so appears the empty frame of this 
ancient structure. The church-like form of 
the chapel, where the monks of old chanted 
the divine Office and said their daily pray- 



From Convent to Conflict 169 

ers; the old, crumbling belfry, where the 
doves coo and wild birds make their nests; 
the altar, the refectory and other apartments 
within, are yet clearly distinguishable. But 
the storm winds, howling through the frame- 
less doors and windows, awake the echoes of 
those voices long hushed beneath the ruined 
walls, and recall another period of war, 
when the destroying flames desecrated this 
hallowed shrine as do now the bombs and 
shrapnels the institutions of Continental 
Europe. 

This is one of the most noted of those 
ancient ruins, and arouses the interest and 
admiration of all tourists who visit this part 
of England. 

On another afternoon we were shown 
through an old but well-preserved castle of 
the seventeenth century, whose low ceilings, 
stretching out over the spacious halls and 
parlors, heavy black mouldings and orna- 
mentation form a striking contrast to the 
design, structure and decoration of the pres- 
ent age. The lady proprietress of this hand- 
some manor was to be seen with the white 
cap and apron of a nurse, walking to and 



170 From Convent to Conflict 

from her castle, in the service of the refu- 
gees. 

The pretty rural names given these old 
homesteads, such as Oakwood, Laurel 
Grove, Ambleside Avenue, Arnos Vale and 
many others, lend them another charm and 
give a romantic touch to their beauty. 

While the scenes witnessed among the ref- 
ugees were, for the most part, sad and de- 
pressing, nevertheless a little incident oc- 
curred which touched the mirthful chord in 
our poor human nature, and afforded us the 
rare pleasure of a good hearty laugh. 

One afternoon during the last week of our 
visit in England a message was received 
from members of the Relief Committee in 
Bradford, asking for an interpreter to come 
to the assistance of some refugees at Oak- 
wood, whose affairs had become compli- 
cated. Two of us set out immediately and 
arrived at the office of the Relief Commit- 
tee to hold a conference on the subject. It 
was decided to visit Oakwood at once and 
make a thorough investigation of the case. 
A party of three or four ladies, led by the 
Hon. Mr. D , of the Relief Committee, 



From Convent to Conflict 171 

arrived in a motor car at the entrance to the 
lovely manor of Oakwood just as the heavy 
branches of the ancient oaks had succeeded 
in closing out the last rays of the setting sun. 

Mr. D advanced with a firm deter- 
mination to make short work of the matter 
and settle the difficulties with one good bang 
of his big cane. He entered the portal, fol- 
lowed by the ladies, and stood a moment be- 
fore the beautiful plate-glass doors, through 
which the light of the hall lamp was reflect- 
ing in all the colors of the rainbow on the 
oak carvings of the outer doors. Not finding 
the bell, he tapped gently on the door with 
the top of his cane. Again and again this 
act was repeated, but no response came, al- 
though voices inside were distinctly audible. 

Becoming quite impatient, Mr. D 

lifted his cane andstruck the door one or two 
resounding blows, which were calculated 
to attract the attention of the indifferent peo- 
ple within. A deathly silence ensued for a 
few moments, and then a chorus of women's 
voices began to cry out, "Call the police! 
Call the police! 'Tis burglars! What do 
they mean by coming here and breaking 



172 From Convent to Conflict 

down our doors ? One old lady approached 
the door and asked: 'Who is there, and 
what do you want? We're frightened al- 
most to death. Is that the way to do, to 
come and pound on the door in that man- 
ner?" By this time Mr. D had suc- 
ceeded in making himself heard, as he an- 
swered in a tone of sincere sorrow, "I beg 
pardon, ladies, I really beg pardon. I meant 
no harm. I meant no harm at all." By 
this time the door was partially opened and 
three panic-stricken old ladies appeared 

within, while Mr. D ,with his hat in one 

hand and the offending cane in the other, 
was bowing most meekly and making elab- 
orate excuses to the ladies, who, seeing the 
humble attitude of the supposed burglar, 
ceased to call for the police and were dis- 
posed to answer any reasonable question. 

"Will you be kind enough to lead us to 

the Belgian refugees?" asked Mr. D . 

/But," said one of the ladies, "there are no 
Belgians here. YouVe made a mistake. The 
refugees are living in the castle yonder on 
the next manor." 



From Convent to Conflict 173 

Thanking these good ladies for the infor- 
mation, and again begging pardon for in- 
trusion, we left the portal with more humble 
feelings than when we entered and proceed- 
ed to the next castle. 

The trouble here originated between two 
parties of Belgians who, on account of lan- 
guage (the one spoke French, the other 
Flemish) and whose political views were 
intensely antagonistic while yet in Belgium, 
were unable to agree. Some slight changes 
were made by the Relief Committee and all 
dissension ceased. 

Next morning a dense fog enveloped the 
entire landscape. The damp, chilly atmos- 
phere seemed to penetrate every nook and 
corner, and on the streets, at a few yards dis- 
tance, objects were scarcely visible. Some 
necessary preparations were made for the 
long-anticipated voyage to America, and 
then we patiently awaited the rapidly ap- 
proaching steamer St. Paul, on her way to 
Liverpool. 



174 From Convent to Conflict 



CHAPTER XIX. 

Homeward Bound. 

Saturday, October 31, at three o'clock in 
the afternoon, a mixed assembly met on the 
pier in Liverpool and gazed, with not a lit- 
tle apprehension, at the roily waters of the 
harbor and the ever-increasing clouds of 
mist. 

The St. Paul, while not one of the largest 
or most pretentious of the American steam- 
ers, is by no means the least. Nineteen years 
ago she passed us in mid-ocean, although she 
had left New York three days later than we. 
Her parlors, refectory, and even the berths, 
are exceedingly neat and comfortable. The 
dining-room is particularly attractive. One 
thing especially noticeable on this ship is 
the absence of all disagreeable, smoky or 
gaseous odors, which on some steamers 
taint even the best-prepared viands, and 
often cause a feeling of nausea the moment 
one enters the gangway. 

May her patron, the good St. Paul, who 
on earth had taken so many perilous jour- 



From Convent to Conflict 175 



neys on land and sea, ever watch over his 
graceful white sea-bird and lead her safely 
into the wished-for harbor. 

Promptly at five o'clock the gong, sound- 
ing through the gangway, gave notice of de- 
parture. For an hour or two we stood on 
deck and gazed out upon the rapidly re- 
treating lights of Liverpool, casting their 
rays so awkwardly through the heavy fog 
which decked both land and sea. 

When the last light fades out on the shore 
and despondency overwhelms poor human 
nature, exposed to the unseen dangers of the 
deep, then confidence is restored by the 
thought that we are ever in the presence of 
Him whose watchful eye never closes, and 
without Whose knowledge not even a spar- 
row falls to the ground. 

CONFIDENCE. 

God is on the sea, 

As well as on the land, 
Since all the mighty powers that be 

Are resting in His hand. 

He who gently moves the deep, 
And holds the firmament above, 

Will His people safely keep. 
Who are trusting in His love. 



176 From Convent to Conflict 

He who rules the swelling wave, 
When the storm is raging nigh, 

Can our tortured spirits save 

From His Throne of Grace on high. 

And should the angel, Death, 
Spread his wings above the wave, 

Then our last, our dying breath, 
Must be: Save! Oh Jesus, save! 

Grant us Thy celestial joy 

In the realms of love and light. 

Where no toils, no cares annoy, 
The just one, in Thy sight. 

Bring our spirits home to Thee, 
Where the angels' joyous band, 

Far above the deep, dark sea, 

'Round Thy throne forever stand. 

Before concluding, it may not be out of 
place to refer particularly to the noble feel- 
ings of fraternal charity which existed 
among the English people, not only in re- 
gard to the Belgians, whom they so gener- 
ously received and housed, but also with re- 
spect to their conduct toward their Catholic 
fellow-citizens engaged with them in this 
charitable work. We heard no more of 
those petty enmities which so often had 
arisen in times past as to race, creed or na- 
tionality. The Catholic priest and Prot- 



From Convent to Conflict 177 

estant minister worked side by side in this 
good work. Ladies of every denomination 
united their efforts and offered their time 
and money for the sole purpose of helping 
the needy. No compensation was expected, 
no material gains to be obtained. Thus 
every work performed was a work of per- 
fect self-sacrifice, and deserved a greater re- 
ward than earth can repay. A golden link 
in the chain of love will ever more unite the 
hearts of England and Belgium. 

Further experience has shown that these 
golden links have multiplied until the chain 
extends across the Atlantic, and holds in its 
friendly tangles the heart of America also ; 
who, of her rich abundance, has dealt out 
to Belgium the clothing and life-giving 
foodstuffs which during the past two years 
have saved the country from famine. 

When this period of anguish is over and 
historians are recording for future genera- 
tions the horrors of this awful conflict, may 
they also give just praise to the All-wise Be- 
ing who has caused the fragrant rose of 
charity to bloom among the weeds of war. 
12 



178 From Convent to Conflict 

We were, or seemed to be, far out in the 
Irish Sea before we could tear ourselves 
away from that wonderful sight. The sea 
was as yet quite calm, and a number of hun- 
gry seagulls were flying around as if to bid 
us a last farewell ; so we remained on deck 
until it was found necessary to enter and 
make arrangements for the night. 

We were sadly disappointed on that dis- 
mal Hallow E'en in not being able to obtain 
a glimpse of our own dear little Emerald 
Isle, so near and dear, and yet so far away. 

Next morning, Sunday, Feast of All 
Saints, found us out in the deep waters of 
the channel, but the sea still remained calm. 
At half-past seven o'clock we assisted at the 
Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, offered up in 
one of the ship's parlors. 

When the service was ended we returned 
to our rooms, where in a few hours we were 
all undergoing severe attacks of seasickness. 

When again we walked the deck it was to 
inhale the invigorating salt sea breeze and 
admire the wondrous waste of waters with 
the clear blue sky above, and in the depths 



BD-66. f) 



From Convent to Conflict 179 

reflected a most beautiful picture, ^'Sunset 
on the Sea." 

A day or two later we encountered on 
board, a Belgian woman en route for Illi- 
nois, where her daughter was living. She 
had only sufficient money to pay her passage 
to New York City, and, being unable to 
speak the English language, was in great 
distress. The necessary sum was donated 
by a Catholic clergyman of Massachu- 
setts, by a Belgian gentleman who was on 
board, and a lady of the '^Committee for the 
Protection of Travelers." All needful in- 
formation was given, and when we arrived 
in New York City she was safely placed on 
the midnight train for Illinois. 

Thus ended a short but fascinating mis- 
sion among the Belgian refugees in Eng- 
land. Thus ended the troubles, trials and 
sorrows of three months in ^'The Great 
War." 

May the gory cloud soon disappear from 
the eastern skies and never, never darken the 
gold and azure of our own American ho- 
rizon. 



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